


Star-Crossed

by lunaveil



Series: The True Champions of Azeroth [1]
Category: World of Warcraft
Genre: Adventure, Age Difference, Angst, Animal Transformation, Awkward Romance, Break Up, Drunkenness, F/M, Family Drama, Father-Daughter Relationship, Height Differences, Hurt/Comfort, Inspired by Roleplay/Roleplay Adaptation, Interspecies Romance, Jealousy, Loss of Trust, Reunions, Roleplay, Roleplay Logs, Romance, Slow Burn, Teacher-Student Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-18
Updated: 2019-03-13
Packaged: 2019-09-22 07:00:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 55,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17055332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunaveil/pseuds/lunaveil
Summary: Two lost and lonely elven souls from completely different walks of life cross paths to create an unlikely yet beautiful friendship. She is on a mission with no direction, and he is simply very bored. She is desperate for anything to help her grow in strength and find what she seeks. He quickly realizes that he can gain vast amounts of knowledge from her, the one thing he craves more than anything. Nobody could expect a Ren'dorei Mage and a Kaldorei Druid to fall in love! Will their differences allow them to remain close, or will misunderstandings tear them apart?





	1. The Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> This is the transcript for an ongoing roleplay between myself and my husband. I aim to clean it up when it is finished or adapt it into a true novel-esque story. Sorry about the typos in the meantime!  
> There are sexual and/or personal bits that I will not be including in this transcript for the time being, so there may be some disjointed plot... I'll mark the areas where this content has been redacted with -----SKIP-----. I'm sure your imagination will suffice ;3c  
> There may be Warcraft lore implications that were not fully researched by either of us, or were ambiguous, so if something doesn't make sense in the canon universe we may end up retconning bits and pieces when we finish.

It was a sweltering day in the Hinterlands. Agholor had woke up well rested and ready to continue digging around the troll ruins around the area.

"Lets hope today yields more surprises than yesterday." He murmured and followed it with a frustrated sigh.  
It was far too hot for a robe today and he regretted his choice in attire.

Veyelline's paws were killing her from her trek up the cliff-side. She decided to brave the cliff rather than risk being spotted by the savage trolls roaming the ruins. A friendly dwarf had offered her some silver to retrieve some relics for research. She figured she could use it to buy some supplies.  
Once she reached the top she transformed back into her natural form to cool off and sweat. She was wearing merely a leather wrap around her chest and a set of knee-length light leather shorts.

Agholor had found a small trove of artifacts on one of the mid levels, packed them up and began to climb the final stairway to the top of the ruins.  
Once he got to the top he searched for a place to sit down and rest. Headed over to a small shaded area of the ruins safe from trolls to remove his robes for a bit to cool off.  
He hung the robe on a nearby ledge and conjured a paper fan to fan him as he sat in the shade.

"Ahhhh that's just heavenly!" He was wearing a sort of jockstrap under the robe so he had some covering in case a wandering eye caught him in the ruins.  
He wasn't a deviant after all, he was a respectable gentleman.

She heard a stirring at the other end of the cave, causing her to panic a bit. _It must be one of the trolls!_ She shifted into cat form and stealthily worked her way towards the sound. She hoped it was only one. Her plan was to encounter as few as possible and hopefully not need to kill any of them.  
However her nose picked up a familiar scent, and it was definitely not that of troll.  
When she neared the light on the other side, she caught sight of him - the blue blood elf from before! What was he doing here now?  
She noticed near his feet a small collection of relics. She wondered if she might be able to take one from him while he wasn't looking.  
Blood elves are certainly also not a good thing to run into usually, but at least somewhat less likely to flat out kill her as a troll. She decided to approach him but still as a cat.

As he was being fanned he noticed a furry friend off in the distance.  
"Oh! what a unusual feline."  
It hadn't attacked him yet so he tried to devise its intentions. However, Agholor was not quite the best at communication. So he beckoned it like any other being he would have met.  
"Hello my feline friend. What are your intentions?" He stated plainly and bluntly, expecting the animal to just understand his inquiries.

She peered over at him cautiously. He seems friendly enough.. she thought, so she came closer and purred a bit.  
She sat right next to him, placing her front paws as close to the relics as she could.

Agholor noticed the purr and smiled warmly.  
"What a friendly feline you are," Agholor had a pretty strong attraction to animals. Cute and furry things have always been a weakness of his. "do you mind if I pat you?"  
He reached over and gently patted the large cats head.

Now this was a surprise.. Usually people would see her huge fangs and claws and be too afraid to reach over. It felt nice! She purred a little louder, and placed a paw on one of the relics

Agholor noticed her temperament improving even further. So he began to give the top of the cats head scritches, and he worked his hand until it was scritching right behind the felines ears.  
"Does that feel good little one?" Agholor envisioned having a pet of his own and made a bit of a goofy smile for a minute. His parlor in Dalaran was lonely and would be so much more inviting with a furry friend.

Now THIS was blissful. She absolutely adored the feeling of having her ears touched even in her natural form. It felt so nice she completely lost herself and accidentally let her focus slip - suddenly, she was a night elf again, with her hand still touching the relic

Agholor felt that the hair on the cat felt different and looked down at the ear he was scratching. A scantily clad Night Elf was curled up next to him, a hand on his relics.  
_What a tricky girl we have here, lets see how far she thinks she can get, heh._

He pretended he didn't notice, looking off into the distance while he continued to scritch behind her ears.

"Thank goodness I finally got these relics I was looking for so I can sit here and relax with my new furry friend." He tried to say sincerely.

Still not having noticed her druid magic had worn off, she smiled with her eyes closed tight and gripped the piece a little more tightly  
_But wait... Why... Did I stop purring.._  
Her eyes snapped open in fear. She looked down at her paws... No, hands?! Oh no  
She dropped the relic instantly and tore herself away from him, jumping back against the opposite wall in a panic.  
"I... I'm sorry, I... I am a novice druid and I lack control of my actions when... Uh... H-hello, what exactly are you??" she floundered, realizing she was incapable of calming her mind enough to transform again and, and thus had no way to safely escape.

Agholor snickered at the druid's panic.  
"My name is Agholor, young druid. I am what some would call a Void Elf. And you, well you have taken an interest in these relics have you not?"

He held one in his hand and made it float in orbit around his raised hand.

"Void.. Elf?" she said, puzzled. She began to calm down a bit as he himself seemed calm, amused, and not hostile at all. _Interesting.. So he is addled with void.. This means he is probably very dangerous, and yet.._  
"I've never heard of such a thing... To me you just look like the sin'dorei... I have been asked to retrieve those relics for a dwarf below.. One like you with loyalty to the Horde would do well to leave this place before others like me find you here"

Agholor chuckled.  
"Hah. Horde? My people follow Alleria Windrunner and have aligned with Anduin Wrynn the boy king. Though such politics terribly bore me..."  
Agholor studied the young night elf.  
_She must be so used to being in the wild she hasn't learned how to properly dress herself._ He pondered as he studied her thin frame and Impressive bosom constricted in the chest wrap.  
_So naïve, and yet... so beautiful_ He though about her wearing some of his designs and was delighted at the fit.

"Tell you what, you tell me your name, I give you a relic."

 _These void elves are friends of the alliance? I've been out of the loop for quite some time now it seems... That or he thinks me stupid and is trying to deceive me_  
She stood up straight and looked the elf in the eye, trying to get a read on his intentions.  
"I will tell you my name if you will tell me yours... Then perhaps I will steal from the trolls instead, since it turns out that you are an ally... If you're telling me the truth that is."

"My name is Agholor Starbreaker, Mage and designer extraordinaire at your service." He said with a confident bow.  
"And you are?"

Surprised at his willingness to give her his full name, she realized she had no choice but to uphold her end of the bargain.  
"I am Veyelline Lunaveil of the Kaldorei, daughter of Thelaros, Druid in training." she bowed her head formally.  
"I am not usually so.. Bare. I left my things at the inn as it's far too hot to be toting them around today.. And I didn't expect to encounter anyone here" she glanced to the side, blushing slightly, and crossing her arms over her chest.

"I hardly noticed. After all the natural state of being IS how they were meant to be," He adjusts the strings on his jockstrap "Give me one second."

He turns towards his pack and rustles through it muttering to himself.  
"I have some interesting artifacts that I don't need for my studies here, give me a second while I find them."  
He begins to ransack his things trying to find them, bent over shoulder deep in his magical rucksack.

 _Someone who would turn their back on you is someone you may let your guard down with. Don't turn your back to another unless you can trust them_ the voice of her father was clear in her mind in this moment.  
Now that she'd resigned herself to trusting him despite her better judgment, she began to study Agholor more closely to sate her curiosity.  
As he rummaged she traced his backside with her eyes, traveling up along the dense muscular back, and up to the glowing void tendril protruding from his tied hair.  
Veyelline knew little specifics of the void, but knew enough to be aware that it was something the average person could not get close to and simultaneously keep control over their mind.  
She wondered to herself if maybe he was delusional.

"Ahaah! There it is!" He yanked up a sack excitedly and looked inside of it.

He looked back at Veyelline and began to walk slowly and elegantly toward her. He stopped about a foot in front of her and held the bag out towards her maintaining eye contact the entire time.

"Here you are young one, I have no need for these and they seem to better suited you." You can have them on one condition, venture to the precipice of this ritual site with me so I can claim my prize." He smiled warmly continuing to maintain eye-contact.

Veyelline blinked twice with a dumbfounded look on her face, then looked at the outstretched bag  
"Uhm.. "  
She felt her face flush with him so close to her and what felt like staring straight into her soul.  
"W..what's at the precipice?"  
She reached a hand out for the bag but did not break the eye contact, worried something unexpected might happen if she did

He smiled big and turned away to instruct his fan to continue it's job cooling him.

"An artifact beyond imagination, truly a masterpiece."

He sat down and looked and looked at the ruins as the fan went to work.

"Up to you, the whole bag will be yours as well as a fun adventure."

She tilted her head, then peered down into the bag to see what exactly he was offering...

"I assure you they are 100% authentic and from these ruins."  
He admired the cautiousness of Veyelline.  
_Her instincts are quite good for combat and fight or flight situations. She still has much to learn though_  
He stifled a chuckle hoping it to go unnoticed.  
"I am not in the business of lying nor do I ever plan to start. It's beneath me."

She pondered this for a moment with pursed lips

 _What would father do..._  
_With these I can avoid disturbing any of the local trolls, as well as get the silver I need from the dwarf, maybe even gold!_  
_But going to the precipice could be dangerous yet_  
_He could be luring me somewhere to kill me but he likely could have already done so if he wanted to_  
_I don't really have too much to lose here..._

She closed the bag and nodded. "Alright, I'll join you. But let it be known if I even get the slightest inkling that you're hearing the whispers..." she gave him one last look in the eyes before transforming into an elk, to symbolize that she would be able to make a quick escape

_Father once said.. If you know your enemy is one you cannot best easily you should always run if you can, or feign death to convince them to leave you be_

Ignoring the remark about the whispers, a surprised look washed over his face. He hadn't expected her to shape shift and into such an adorable form. He blushed, slightly, but smiled and stood up very quickly.

"Wonderful! I could really use the help!" He walked over to take her hand and give it a kiss. Then he marched over to grab his staff and looked back at her.

"Shall we trek on?" He was anxiously excited to continue his journey, and with such an fuzzy and adorable companion, nothing could be better.

She was incredibly flattered by the kiss to the point of feeling her stomach flip, but she was still berating herself in her head to remain wary of him for the duration of their journey.  
She transformed into a cat again and let out a deep growl of confirmation that she would follow

"Then let's go, it's still up aways so we have a bit of a walk before we get there."

He walked with a determined pace smiling and surveying the land for any signs of danger or artifacts and started humming folksongs of Silvermoon.

\-----

Cat Veyelline trailed behind the boisterous void elf quietly as they trekked onward in the ruins. She curiously watched his tendril swing side to side as he walked. It was almost hypnotic.  
Being downwind of him, his unique scent filled her nostrils and made it difficult to focus on the task at hand.  
It had been so long since she had adventured with anyone.. It had to have been about 20 years.

Agholor Strutted along, the breeze feeling cool on his skin. He noticed the focus the young druid had on him and was curious as to why she was so distracted.

"So what's your story Veyelline?" He mused

It was important to Agholor to remember each name of every person he met. It helped to tie him not only to the moment, but the person as well.  
"What has brought a young Druid out so far from Kalimdor?"

Veyelline stood still for a moment pondering his question, then shifted into a night elf so she could speak.  
"I've been away from Kalimdor for quite some time now," she said, her voice trailing to a more quiet tone near the end, "I used to travel with my father everywhere, but.. Now I just follow the call of the wild and wherever it happens to take me"  
She looked to her side off into the distant rolling hills and wondered if he was still out there or if he was long dead.

Agholor realized that the topic of her father may be a touchy one and decided to avoid it.

"Alone though? The wilds didn't tell you to travel with any friends?" He chuckled slightly at his own joke. "I for one welcome the company, and even more so of one that is as cute as you young druid." He bowed slightly and cordially to the side, mentioning how cute she is in reference to the cat form he thought she was still in.

Her face instantly went maroon. She wasn't used to being called cute, especially by a male, and double especially when she wasn't a cat or deer.  
"Th.. Thank you, Agholor." she managed to stutter out. "I've never really been good at making friends unfortunately" she smirked to herself, remembering how little she fit in with the other druids.  
"This ground is hard on my feet, I'm going to transform again unless you have more questions to ask.."

Agholor paused a second with a quizzical look on his face. Realizing that his mistake but then realized he still wasn't wrong, she was a very cute night elf.

"Well you can be my friend, can never have enough these days, huh?" He postured.

He didn't know enough night elves and most were two stuck up for him to even be around.

She smiled gently and nodded just before turning into a cat again. The smile seemed to be there on her face even still.  
_A friend..._  
She noticed that she was purring as she thought about the fact that she had a friend. She had lost all cautiousness and seemed to even have forgotten that he was an ex-horde blood elf inflicted with the void...

They walked up to a small stone building at the top of the ruins and approached a large stone door.

"Ah! This is it Veyelline! We made it!"

Agholor's eyes gleamed, excited to the thought of treasures inside. He has been waiting to find this artifact for a long time.(edited)

Veyelline was a bit confused, wondering how they managed to walk up to this so easily without drawing the attention of any of the local trolls.  
She looked to each side expecting to see guards but there were none. She shrugged it off, thinking this must just mean they got lucky, but made a mental note to keep her ears and nose open for the potential of an ambush.

As they walked into the giant stone door they saw two large trolls with their backs to them guarding a hatch at the back of the room.

"Ahhh... I thought I had cleaned up most of them the last time I was here" he said under his breath.  
"Veyelline look alive, we may need to defend ourselves..."

Suddenly a thin layer of frost began to cover Agholors entire body, along with icicles forming from his hair and tentacle.

A cold breeze whistled over Veyelline's fur tickling the tips of her ears and nose, causing her whole body to bristle.  
She saw the ice forming on Agholor and her eyes widened in awe.  
_Frost Mage? I didn't expect Frost of all disciplines..._  
She let out a low growl of agreement with his words and stepped up to stand beside him, fangs and claws at the ready to do their damage

He raises up one hand and waits to for the trolls to make the first move. They look at each other and lunge at the pair. Without a second thought Agholor sends two shards of ice in a burst from his hand and strikes each of them in the heart.

As soon as they hit their marks the trolls were dead on the ground and Agholor began to defrost rapidly.  
"I hate it when I have to freeze with no robe" he began to regret forgetting the rest of his effects.

Veyelline nearly jumped out of her skin when the shards busted through the enemies. She had never seen such power before. Rather than being scared, as she probably should have been, she was dumbfounded.  
Realizing she would not need her weapons of choice as long as she was with him, she shifted into night elf form to speak,  
"You are so powerful..." she said in an airy tone, her eyes wide with wonder, "and not even with using the shadows, you are similar in power to the likes of the Kirin Tor, how!?"  
She looked down at him beside her to see just how much frost had formed on him, as her own skin was now feeling the chill as well

"The Kirin Tor? Amateurs!" He scoffed. "As for the void, I do try not to rely to heavily on-" He stopped himself and seemed to stare past Veyelline.

He shivered a bit and looked down at his now drenched and moist body, the frost thaw had completely soaked him.  
"That hatch there! That's the way to the relic room!" Shaking off the lingering droplets in his hair.  
He walked over to the hatch and revealed a small tunnel big enough to crawl through.  
"I would say ladies first but I feel it could put you in a compromising position. May I take the lead my dear companion?" He said in a playful tone.(edited)

For a just a moment wondering if he really was more powerful than the Kirin Tor, Veyelline redirected her attention to the tunnel.  
Not knowing what was on the other side, she did feel it'd be best for her new friend to lead the way, just in case there were more trolls to freeze waiting for them.  
"After you" she said with an gentle onward gesture

Agholor smiled warmly and crouched down to begin to crawl through the tunnel, he blew onto his palms to create an orb of light. "Hopefully it won't be to dark in their but this might help us see some. I may be void-addled but that doesn't mean I can see in the dark." He began to crawl into the tunnel excitedly, awaiting the prize at the end.

Veyelline being much taller than him worried she may not fit, but realizing that despite her height she is still more slender. The crawl was doable albeit snug.  
She waited for him to make some headway and then pulled herself in head first.  
The orb of light was helpful for guiding her but she mostly focused on Agholor's glowing tendril instead, she was still very mesmerized by it.

They began what was an awkwardly long crawl through the catacombs and Agholor decided he would try to pass the time getting to know his new friend. "So Veyelline. I feel if we should become friends, we should learn about each other what interests Veyelline? What does Veyelline like?" He questioned lightheartedly.  
"I mean, besides my tendril... I'M JOKING!" He laughed, "I know it just about all you have back there to look at. You answer this question, Ill answer one of yours. Even if it's about my tendril." He snickered.

Veyelline blushed once again pouted on the inside  
_Ugh he must notice that I can't stop staring at it_  
She almost forgot he had asked her a question  
"Uh.. What interests me? What interests me..." She wasn't very good at talking about herself so this was an interesting challenge for her.  
"I'm.. Very interested in the Emerald Dream." she finally said after a long pause. "I want to know it's secrets... So I go wherever the wild leads me hoping the answers will come"  
She kept rolling with her train of thought.  
"I am interested in all sorts of magic and how it affects the world around us. I am, recently, interested in what has gone on with the war against the Legion. I have not been much help for it but I should at least be informed I suppose"  
She was now rambling and thinking out loud

"Ahhh the legion." He sighed. "I've dealt with them more than I'd care to, dirty magics." He paused for a moment.

"The emerald dream however also fascinates me, as well as druid magics. I've not had the opportunity to study druid magic up close before and I hope one day to learn more on how it works and about the dream itself too!" He got carried away by his excitement to the prospect of new magic that he didn't realise the cavern split ahead and ran face first into a wall.

When he stopped short, Veyelline nearly plowed right into his backside. Her face again turned from a rosy pink to a dark maroon color in that moment, as she was for the first time this entire time actually noticing that not only was he still nearly naked, but that his undergarments did not fully cover his rump.  
She scooted back a bit, not wanting to make a scene, but her insides were squirming with feelings as she couldn't help but look closer.  
_Who wears something like this out in the open, and around a stranger?!_ she thought to herself. She finally decided to avert her gaze out of embarrassment when she feared he may try to turn to look back at her.

"Gahh, oops sorry!" He shook the dust out of his hair, "Magic talk gets me going." He chuckled as he continued to follow his orb of light down the right passageway.

"Maybe since you are a druid you can help me figure out some questions I've had on your magic?" His heart raced slightly from the prospect of learning. He had tried to befriend druid before but none would speak to him and would act nervous around him.

"N.. Novice! I'm only a novice I'm.. Not sure how much I can actually share that would be u.. Useful," she managed to stammer out, now actively trying to keep her eyes away from his bubbly blue bottom (and mostly failing.)  
"Up until recently I was practicing as a hunter, the trainers only took me in because they were.. Er.. Coerced"

"Nonsense! Veyelline, I saw you change form, and from the looks of it you have the instincts of the wilds. If you are a novice then you are definitely designed for greatness!" He stated as he confidently crawled through the tunnel. Each stride causing the two constricted balloon-esque cheeks to bounce together, as well as the tightly packed cloth bulge that jiggled along with them. "And... Coerced?" He asked? "How so?"

She took a sharp breath and closed her eyes tight to get her thoughts together as the anatomy of the unashamed void elf continued to find new ways to flush her face.  
"My mother told them to, " she finally blurted with an exhale, "she's.. Some sort of archdruid, or master of the wilds.. I'm not entirely sure yet what exactly she is, to be honest."

"Interesting, this explains why you are so talented Veyelline. To becoming something else entirely though?" He let out an exhilarated groan. "What is it like?"

The though alone filled him with an awkward excitement that he couldn't explain. His heart raced at the thought of being able to accomplish such a feat.  
"I've tried to use magic before to change form, or to alter my appearance but to no avail"

It was to this comment that she actually was able to snap herself out of her fervor because she found it humorous. "... So you mean whatever it is the void did to you wasn't what you were expecting?" she retorted with a level of confidence in her voice that was almost condescending in tone.

Agholor stopped suddenly in his tracks. And paused for a moment.

"The void... Was... Terrifying, and beautiful. A symphony of chaotic potential. It filled my body and formed me into a king while at the same time tearing me to peices. I watched my flesh melt from my skin, and muscles fall from the bone, only to watch them sprout from my bones again and my skin take a new shape on the meat that made me..." He paused for a second more. "So yes I would say it was a bit more than I expected." He said and ended with a laughing stint that went on for a few seconds, and he began to crawl on again. Though, his time thinking of the void had left his skin with a feint purple glow, as well as other more distinct parts of him shining slightly in the dark cave.

"But I assume it's much more mild when changing forms as a druid?"

The humor Veyelline was feeling had completely dissipated and she had gone back to feeling immense fear after listening to Agholor's description of the void. Seeing it physically course through his body as he spoke was both terrifying and beautiful, mostly the former.  
She shakily responded, "Indeed..." but composed herself by thinking deeply about how she bonds with the wild. "Changing forms for me is like changing the way I breathe. It's like I have a second set of lungs in a cat's body, a bear's body, or an elk's body. It feels like... I have to focus deeply on using that set of lungs to become the creature. There is never any pain or discomfort when shifting, merely a burst of energy that grants me the focus... letting the power of nature consume me and reform my body to be closer to the Dream"  
It was complicated to put in words, but this was similar to what her mother had told her when she was first being trained.

A stiffened sniffle came from him as he trekked on, a trail of void ooze slowly dripping down his back. "I envy you Veyelline." He spoke as he left a sticky trail behind him.

A single tear ran down his face at the memory of the void and the peace Veyelline's description gave him. "I hope to one day be able to take on a beautiful form and leave this raggedy form behind."

He began to speed up seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

Veyelline didn't even think before she spoke, "I don't think you look raggedy... You're not a blood elf anymore, at least"  
After realizing how what she said could be taken in several ways she didn't intend, she went pale. "Y.. Your blue skin is quite lovely, I mean." follows by a nervous giggle and a forced smile showing her sharp teeth.

Agholor blushed slightly and looked back at the smiling Night elf girl with one of his own. "Thank you Veyelline. This is the first time I have heard that without it coming from a enamored fanatic. You have truly made my month!"

He stepped out of the cave opening and offered a hand to the young druid, still glistening slightly in a viscous ooze.

She took his hand, still smiling.  
_What am I doing... This creature is one with the void... I am touching him, despite seeing his power swell. Why do I trust him so much?_  
Butterflies fluttered in her stomach when they made eye contact, and when their skin touched.  
_I'm so stupid. Stop... Stop!!!!!_  
But she couldn't make it stop.  
Now outside the tunnel, she stood for a moment still holding his hand before realizing it'd been a few seconds, and remembering to let go.  
Continuing to smile, she pondered on something her father once said. "You may not know it but blue-skinned Kaldorei are said to be among the most adept with magic."

Agholor smiled warmly and nodded at her as he walked to a stone vault on the other side of the room.  
"This is it!" He exclaimed. "The newest addition to my collection!" He opened the vault door and pulled out his new prized possession.  
It was a stone carving of a saber-tooth cat standing stoically on a rock. An artisan piece that was crafted to be as lifelike as possible. It was no larger than Agholor's head.  
"It's so beautiful... And so adorable..." He whispered loudly staring in awe at his new relic.  
"What do you think Vey?" His muscles (among other things) to jiggle with his momentum as he finished a show stopping half twirl back towards her to flaunt his prize.

Veyelline giggled at his enthusiasm.  
"It's very lovely." she said sweetly. "Not quite as lovely as a living one, out in the wild, but still captures the likeness well"  
She looked around her, scanning the room for any other potential loot. "Is this really the only thing in here?"

"True, I got to be up close and personal with the real thing today. Even got a chance to pet it." He said slyly and gave her an over dramatized wink.  
"As for other loot there may be a small vault over in that corner. It could be full of gold, trinkets, maybe even a magical toy if you are lucky. Though ancient trolls have weird toys. Still, may be worth an examination, whatever is in there is yours my faithful companion."

Veyelline was beginning to grow excited hoping to find something nice for herself now that Agholor had. She meandered over into the corner to sure enough discover a small chest. She cracked it open easily as the lock was so old and rusted it simply fell to pieces.  
Peeking inside she found two pieces of gold, some dried animal skins, and several spoiled food items. However, under the food she found what looked like bottle of either rum or aged wine.  
She took the bottle and carried it excitedly over to Agholor with an intrigued look on her face.  
"What do you suppose this is? Could it be valuable? And if not.. Tasty?"

Is... Is this what I think it is?  
It was Dwarven rum, and very well aged. Most likely from a troll conquest centuries past.  
Agholor had a mighty strong predilection to alcoholic beverages.  
"Veyelline. Have you ever had Dwarven rum?"

She grinned, fully aloof  
"I've never had rum, my father warned me it could cloud my vision and make my shots less steady so I avoided the stuff entirely... But I've always been ever so curious what he meant by that"

"Really?" Agholor gave her an astonished look. "VEYELLINE! I insist, join me at my camp for a night exquisite taste and frivolity! The sun is setting anyway so we may as well bunker down, what do you say?" His eyes beamed with excitement over this rare find and even rarer company.

Veyelline hopped in excitement, nearly hitting her head on the low stone ceiling. "Is that what you do when you drink rum?? Frivolity? I've never been to a real party before... Like the ones they speak of taking place in Suramar city in the days of olde..." Her eyes were glistening with glee just thinking about it  
The voice of her father the back of her head screamed _YOU are an IDIOT Veyelline_ but that didn't stop her. "I'd love to join you!"

He blushed and smiled at her excitement.  
_She fills me with so much hope.._  
"Very well! Let's get moving to my camp then!"  
He paused for a second and then turns back to her. "..I do hate to be this forward. But we could reach the camp much faster if I were to ride on your deer form. I'd hate to be a bother though so no pressure." He said sincerely.

So blinded inside by excitement for trying something new (and defying everything her father had told her) it didn't quite hit her just what he had asked right away.  
"Hmm? Oh.. You didn't come here on mount-back? Surely you have one that can fly, an elf of such experience."  
She did ponder the question though. She knew of some other druids who would offer rides to close friends, but tried to avoid allowing strangers to mount them.

"I do but it is back at my camp. Plus it would take it awhile to get here. If it's too much I can hike the distance for sure."

She nodded in understanding, or what she at least thought was understanding.  
"I supposed I can allow it but only just this once, since you helped me with the relics, and are teaching me about this drink"  
She closed her eyes, exhaled, and when they opened again she was a large lavender elk, peering back at him with the same excited look she had before.

He blushed and smiled when she transformed.  
_What a cute form.... So.. fluffy..._  
He nodded to show his understanding and shimmered on top of her with his hands resting on the back of her neck and his legs hanging and holding tight to her sides. His thighs brushed against her soft fur and a shiver went down his spine making him feel tingly all over. "The trek should take about 30 minutes down the relics so whenever you are ready, TALLY HO!" He yelled excitedly.

Extremely startled by his sudden shimmer, she bucked a bit and belated before starting to sprint. She hoped it was in the right direction because her heart was pounding so fast she feared she'd faint if she had to stop. After a few minutes, she started to calm down and simply focus on the feeling of the hot summer air going through her uncovered fur. It felt nice to run free. It also felt surprisingly nice to have someone on her back, especially someone so small and light as Agholor. She could feel his warm legs on her sides and arms around her neck. It filled her with adrenaline.

Ahgolor held on but was far too used to a saddle, he bounced up and down on her back eventually gripping his body to her tightly and hugging on her neck. He laughed as he bounced up and down on her.  
"Up here on the left, my fire should still be burning."

She grunted and galloped onward as fast as her legs could take her, until they finally reached the campsite. Once there, she slowly came to a stop and then knelt down to let him step down.

"Ah ha! Perfect," he flicked some logs over with some magic and beckoned two full leather chairs to sit close to each other in front of the fire.  
"Come Vey, have a seat. Get comfortable." He smiled somewhat seductively as he sat down deep into his chair. The night air feeling beautiful after the hot day on his skin made him glad he was down to his undergarments.

By the time he looked back at her she had already returned to night elf form. She carried both the bottle and an incredibly wide smile with her. The chair was a bit small for her but she made do, sitting with her knees slanted upward and the bottle in her lap.  
She said nothing because she was still wondering just how much fun this would be.

Agholor was grinning ear to ear as well, excited for the treat they are about to enjoy. He brought up a glass and reached out for the rum.  
"Dwarven rum this old gains a very sweet taste. It is very strong and very potent, but also very delectable."  
He poured a glass and lightly blew on it. A thin frost covered the glass and chilled the drink, he then handed it back to Veyelline before preparing his own.  
"Drink up your prize, triumphant traveler! You will be the first to taste it."

She soaked in the information like a sponge, carefully taking the glass from his hand with the tips of her fingers, almost sticking to the sheet of ice.  
She peered into the glass to see the swirly blood red liquid, then gave it a sniff. It smelled good. She lifted it to her lips to take a cautious small sip.  
It burned a bit going down but a barrage of flavors assaulted her tongue. Just like he said.. Sweet but strong. It somewhat reminded her of the grogg she would drink with the Vrykul during Northrend winters with her father.. Non alcoholic of course.  
She took another larger sip, this time choking and coughing a little... That sip was too much. She'd learned her limits already. She looked over to Agholor and smiled big.  
"This is fantastic!"

Agholors face lit up. "I knew you'd like it! I can't wait to taste it." He licked his lips and began to guzzle down the liquid in his glass in a matter of seconds.  
"AHHHH delicious, tastes even better than when I drank it fresh made!" He said, legitimately surprised.  
He poured himself another glass and began to sip on this one tenderly.

She continued to suckle small sips down until her glass was empty, and she beckoned for another.  
"So when is this -frivolity- you speak of taking place?"

He poured her another and handed the cold glass back. "Hmm well let's start with some music, what do you say?" He motioned to his tent and a violin came out and began to play a lively tune. "AHH PERFECTO! Now I will stand up and do something like this."  
With glass in hand his feet began to move up and down in an intricate manner. He knew the Dwarven dances well, as he does with most forms of dance. He took sips as he moved his feet to the tune and twirled around dancing in the moonlight, with beads of sweat running down his chest and legs from the heat of the fire.

Veyelline continued sipping and bobbing her head to the music. She had seen dancing like this before but never performed by someone other than a dwarf.  
Her long purple hair swished side to side and her ear tips slightly flopped as she danced in her chair with her drink now again about halfway gone.  
The sparks coming off the fire began to look a little brighter, and seemed to swirl like fireflies as they buzzed around, leaving trails that stuck to her eyes.

After the dance was over he stopped and took a bow and let out an exasperated laugh. He was feeling the effects somewhat and changed the music to a bit more of a cheery and smooth vibe as he sat back down in his chair.

Two glasses now down. Now the stars were fireflies too! And Agholor's glowing blue eyes.  
Veyelline shifted in her chair and felt a little dizzy. It was almost as though she could feel Azeroth stirring from the Maelstrom and across the great seas.  
"You're vvvery good at the thhat but why in Malfffurion's name are you naked?" she slurred out, having lost all sense of mental filter.

Agholor, worried at first looked down quickly and saw that hew was, by his standards, in fact not naked. "Veyelline I am not naked." He chuckled.

"Might as well be!" she spat, and started chest laughing loudly. "If my father saw you he'd have thought you were some sort of... Creature, and he'd've shot you on the spot"  
She now tried to stand, nearly losing her footing, but regaining her balance after taking an extra step forward. She was now towering over Agholor in his chair.  
"Only barbaric warriors and concubines walk around in public in only their undergarments" she managed to state with a clear voice, smiling wide and blinking twice as much as someone sober probably would

He looked up at her towering over him and was surprised to see her so forward. _Getting braver, ooooh I love this druid_  
He stood up and placed hands on her shoulders slowly nudging her back into her chair.  
"I admit I got caught up in the moment but I felt no vile intent from you Veyelline. From the moment I met you I knew you meant no harm and were devoid of malicious intent. I felt comfortable because I trusted you. And felt comfortable in nature at that moment. Do you know that feeling?" He asked softly before pausing. "It's been a long time for me." He stood in front of her seat staring off into the forest blankly, half from an over active mind half from a drunken stupor.

She was almost angry when he pushed her down but she reasoned with herself that it was probably for the best, as she felt she could fall into the fire if she wasn't careful.  
Her body felt somewhat numb when she was simply standing but his hands on her shoulders felt like the hot stones of the cliff-side - rough and strong and anchoring her to him.  
She thought on his words for a good long time before finally deciding to respond  
"All of my training, everything my father ever taught me, told me to run away from you." she said softly. "You're so dangerous and yet I'm not afraid. Have you bewitched me or have I gone mad?"

"You've mentioned him often, your father I mean." He took a gulp from his cup while going to refill hers, continuing to look to the forest. "It seemed he taught you a great deal of things huh?" He poured her glass and handed to her.

She took the glass but looked at him with one raised eyebrow as she sipped.  
"You didn't answer my question... But yes. He was my everything for my whole life..." she started to feel a lump in her throat, "up until about 30 years ago."  
She took a longer sip this time, coughed twice off to the side to hide the single tear she shed and wipe it away before he could notice.  
"I don't know if he's still out there, or dead, or worse... He was with me for the first 80 years of my life.. The only one who cared for me."  
This time she couldn't stop two more teardrops from escaping. She sniffed and covered her nose with her free hand, not making eye contact at all.

Noticing her crying he crouched down and brought his face level to hers. "Well I can promise I am not bewitching you and c-certainly not cappable of that. But-but your father? He sounds like he did the best he could. And he'd be happy knowing that his daughter h-has a new friend, who really does care f-for her." He smiled warmly and closed his eyes. Then lost his balance a bit and fell back onto his bottom.  
"I'll be honest Vey... I've been alone too, and I know what it's like to feel left behind. So you get whatever is on your chest, o-off your chest. I'll listen" He spread his feet and rested his elbows on his knees with his hands on his cheeks and a smile on his face.

She looked at him softly, no longer crying but still very red-faced, which could have just been the alcohol working. The world was spinning under her feet but there was nothing else around her in this moment.. Just her, and Agholor.  
"You care for me even though you've only just met me..." she proclaimed, "but when you've been alone as long as I have.. And kicking yourself every day for losing the one who gave you everything.. You wonder if caring for others could just get them hurt or lost as well."  
She looked directly into his eyes as she said this.  
"That's part of why it was so easy to give up hunting, aside Cenarius sending my mother to find me because it was -my true calling- as she said..." she rolled her eyes. "I thought maybe if I stopped I wouldn't have to remember what happened. But instead I just feel like I'm letting him down even more."  
She took one last swig of her drink then tossed the glass aside.  
"I am counting on the wild to guide me to him... Be it his dead body, or otherwise."

"Well then let's do it!" He proclaimed as he spring up, quickly and pointed at her face. "I will do whatever I can to help you in this quest. As my first f-friend of this century I swear it! I will be at your disposal!" He turned away from her and motioned to the dark night covered forest. "We will search everywhere I swear it!"  
He turned his head back over his shoulder. "That is, if you'd have me."  
He picked up the bottle and began to drink from it directly.

She looked at him with a smirk and eyebrows raised.  
"You who has fought the void and survived with your sanity? .. If what you say is true that is.. A Sin'dorei of a different color is still a Sin'dorei. Do you really have nothing better to do?"  
She slid out of the chair onto the ground, laying on her back with her knees up and her hands across her chest, staring up at the night sky.  
"I suppose if you insist I can't stop you" she started, but then changing her mind, "... Well, I mean, I enjoy your company despite how little I know about you... So I'd be fine with it"  
She closed her eyes as the world seemed to stop spinning beneath her and the light imprinting of the stars no longer twisted around like fireflies on the back of her eyelids.

He walked over to where she was laying and fell to his knees next to her. "Th-then is shettled. I will accompany you. I enjoy your company... So much. And p-pretty girl like you with me wh-who would have guess me, Agholorsh such a lucky guy?" He was rocking back and forth and then plopped down with his head in his hand laying on his next to Veyelline. "You shure made this weirdos day you know det Veylie?" He was starting to feel the alcohol in force.

She kept her eyes closed so she didn't see him, but she definitely heard him, and giggled.  
"You're drunk, weirdo... Nobody calls me pretty and means it"  
She wasn't tipsy anymore but her comfort level retained itself because she was convinced he'd remember nothing the next day. He may even just leave, forgetting his vow to travel with her.  
"Does the void whisper it to you? Tell her she's pretty?" she yawned, a sudden tiredness beginning to overtake her.

His mood became a bit more sober and serious. "I allow the void to speak only when absolutely necessary, the void is comprised of the voices of liars, empty promises and deceit. The Ren'dorei have learned through training until our spirit is broken a thousand times and our minds can withstand the brutal torment of the cries of millions of angry ancient screams and whispers so that we may control without the possibility of succumbing to the maddening shriek of the void." He began to glow like earlier. And know this young druid. When Agholor Starbreaker makes a promise, he keeps it. No substance or force on Azeroth will shake my resolve." He started to swell a bit all over with purple light but then began to dim.  
"Show don't wurry, I'm taking on this advnchur wherever it takes ush. HA Haaaaa!"

Startled by his change in tone, she had sat up with eyes wide open and scooted backwards away from him in fear.  
_How can anyone do what he claims to have done... It's simply unheard_ of she managed to keep to herself.  
"If... Uhm.. You're sure, then" she said with slight panic in her voice, and more softly than ever.  
"I'm going to find somewhere to sleep for the night.. I'll come find you in the morning. I promise. Goodnight, Agholor. Thank you for my first -frivolity-"  
She promptly transformed into a cat, and sprinted off into the forest to make a den. Despite her long term loneliness, she realized that she needed to be alone right now to process everything that had happened.

Agholor watched her run off into the forest, and an ache dropped deep into his stomach. Another one scared off then He decided to fall asleep right where he was and pack up for Dalaran early next morning. Just in case.


	2. The Stockades

\--------- SKIP (Not sexual, just don't have access to the content at the moment since it was written offline-mode on a plane. Will be filled in later.) ---------

Veyelline paced nervously just outside the entrance to the stockade. Her heart was racing as she inadvertently imagined all the things that could go wrong.  
_Just calm down... He's going to protect me... Won't he? Surely he will..._

Agholor arrived in a shimmer from out of nowhere where he was already starting his sentence. " -o are you ready to start our adventures into..." He paused for dramatic effect.  
"The STOCKADES?" He spoke menacingly.

Veyelline audibly screamed and fell to the ground on her bum.  
"YOU'RE GOING TO KILL ME! Stop doing that!!!" she exclaimed, rubbing the pained impact site as she stood back up.  
She took a deep breath, held it for a moment, and exhaled to try to calm herself.  
"I suppose I'm as ready as I'll ever be..." she said, not making eye contact, a drop of sweat running down the side of her face.

Agholor noticed the discomfort of the young elf, and produced a lavender silk handkerchief for her use.  
"Apologies my companion, I do tend to get carried away sometimes." He sighed dramatically.

She took the handkerchief with a gentle smile, "I forgive you, my friend."  
She wiped the sweat from her brow and turned to face the entrance. She closed her eyes, arched her back, and transformed into her cat form. Fangs and claws at the ready, she looked to Agholor and gave him a nod to signify she would follow him when he entered.

He grinned with excitement, prepared to see the druidic prowess of this sleek, young, and seemingly talented night elf.  
They opened the gate to the underground cell block of the Stockades, the halls dark and dimly lit by torchlight. There was a grouping of armored men ahead.  
"Good evening Warden." Agholor greeted the tallest of the men with great poise, and began to discuss the task ahead of them in detail.

Veyelline tried to focus on the conversation to pick up any details she might need, but she was very distracted by her surroundings. There were so many smells! And many she recognized from her travels. She found herself trying to remember what each one was and Agholor's words going completely in one ear and out the other.

He noticed her lack of focus and gave her a gentle nudge to zone her back in. The Warden revealed to them that a menace named Hogger had been training insurgents throughout the prison. Men and gnolls alike.  
Agholor nodded in agreement and looked down over and up to Veyelline with a smile. "I am sure my young friend and I are more than up to the task. We will clean up the vermin for you my friend."  
They needed to control the prison. If provoked lethal force was allowed. Hogger must be put down. They began to walk down a long corridor, the eyes of the prisoners staring them down.

His touch brought her back to reality with ease because it sent her fluffy cat tummy a-flutter.  
_Vermin... clean up.. got it. Seems too easy!  
_Her eyes darted left to right trying not to directly look at any of the prisoners, but wanting to see what they looked like. The smells of mildew, bodily fluids, dust and stone filled her nostrils. She detected at least 7 different species of creature from within the hallway alone.

"Be careful Veyelline. The gnolls can smell fear, and your animal traits will smell even more tantalizing to them. I assume by now informants have alerted the rabble-rousers. Attacks could come from anywhere." His tone was no longer light, the two tones in his void addled voice much more prevalent and his words much more stern.  
"I will leave it up to you to defend our rear flank. Is that understood?" He raised his long eyebrow inquisitively.

Overcome with a sense of duty and a desire to make him proud, she growled in agreement and nodded her large head but once.  
Her claws extended and tail swishing side to side in steady rhythm, she rolled her shoulders in preparation to pounce at any moment.  
As they continued on down the corridor her ears would perk up instantly at even the slightest sound, and she could tell what made the sound each time - a footstep, a hand touching the rails, a sneeze, a scratch of the chin.

Suddenly two gnolls and a man appeared in front of them down the corridor. Agholor could sense they had ill intentions but greeted them as he would anyone.  
"Good day my fellows. Have you all gotten lost? this place is quite the labyrinth." He chuckled.

"Nono, we found what we'wus lookin fer." The shady man croaked and cracked a menacing smile. He revealed a spiked bludgeon of sorts and began to leap at Agholor.  
Without hesitation he released a frost nova in front of him, freezing their feet to the ground in an instant, and then shimmered back 10 feet.  
"Veyelline now!" He commanded. 

She perked up, ears pointed straight to the sky and mane spiked out in blind fury. She roared as she sprung forward with claws outstretched. When she made impact with the man, blood splattered everywhere. Her fangs pierced directly through his neck and her claws shredded his shoulders. She had no mercy when fighting those she knew to be criminals.

Agholor flicked a finger at the gnoll that was breaking out of the ice and it entered its forehead and exited out the back of its skull. He fell down dead in an instant, he then sat by to see how she dealt with the remaining gnoll.  
_How vicious, its quite attractive.  
_His face brightened from the spectacle and his mouth twisted into an ear to ear grin. He watched the beautiful feline figure move with grace and ferocity and he couldn't help but feel a flutter of excitement in his chest.

Once she was sure the man was dead, she then pounced onto the still frozen gnoll and its horrified expression. With three clawed swipes and one massive bite it too was mutilated beyond recognition. She stood in the puddles of blood breathing heavily before turning to look at Agholor with the most eager expression a cat could make - as if to ask "did I do good?" - with her violet fur and ivory fangs now coated and dripping scarlet.

Agholor was bewildered by the ferocity of the young druid, and her devotion to prove herself.  
_Oh my! She is so eager... Its absolute-_ He began to blush brightly at her obedience and covered his face.  
He walked slowly up next to her, placed his hand at the base of her ear, and ran his hand slowly along its length as he walked by to show his appreciation.  
"Very good." he said lightly. "However, you may want to stop once they are dead." He began to wipe his hand oh his kerchief that he used to rub her ear. He dropped it to the ground, now soaked crimson with the blood that had coated her.

_He liked it.. he likes me!_  
She purred when he touched her ear and rubbed her head into his hand as he walked by, feeling so giddy she felt like she could tackle him! She found herself made more and more happy when he touched her and craved more when he stopped.  
_But.. maybe he's right... I got a little carried away_  
In her desire to impress she had really destroyed those bodies. She made a mental note to be a bit more clean with her kills going forward. 

They began to walk forward into a large rotunda dimly lit by the moonlight from the open storm grates above. Sitting in a wooden throne was Hogger. A large beast with bloody drool hanging from his mouth. Around him was what looked like an entire tribe of gnolls and a few groups of humans with makeshift weapons held with ill intent.  
_Curses.. there are way more banded together than I thought. It will be hard for her to learn properly. Lets see what she.._  
"Greetings your largeness!" He greeted the beast. "I have been informed by you _keeper_ that you have been causing QUITE a bit of mischief, huh?" He spoke to the crowd to rile them up.  
"I commend your efforts to give your masters a headache, disobedience is honestly the most _adorable_ form of revolution." He joked.

If Veyelline could giggle she would have... she always found the way he spoke so funny. Letting the humor pass though, she realized just how dire this situation really was. _How did all these gnolls even get in here? How foolish of the guards to arrest so many when the only real way to deal with them is to slaughter them._ She crouched down low to the dirty stone floor and made notes with her nose of where each one was to plot out her course.  
_Surely Agholor will take on the huge one... right?_

Agholor studied the impending brawl that was about to ensue. He looked down at Veyelline who was poised to strike, still covered in filth. It was adorable to him.  
He knelt down and patted the Cats head, and whispered into her ear. "The big one is yours."  
He rose his hands and a circle of frost caked the floors and with a snap of his fingers he was gone. He began blinking around the room, sending icicles to their marks with expert accuracy. It was as if he slowed the passage of time for everyone in the room besides them. 

A shiver coursed through her body when his breath hit her ear. It didn't matter what he said... all of her fear and worry dissipated and all she could think of was him... Pleasing him... Serving him. Did he have her under a spell? Was this the work of the void? Or was it Elune's will? Regardless of what it was, she was victim to it entirely.  
With a savage roar she pounced, straight towards Hogger's gigantic meaty head. However, he was not a pushover like the thugs she had taken down before - He dodged her. She hit the floor and rebounded right back at him relentlessly. This went on for several moments until her fangs finally collided with his axe, claws flailing towards him but just out of reach.  
Hogger slammed one of his massive gnarled fists directly into her rib-cage with a _crack._ She yowled out in pain. The force of it threw her into the wall where she slid down and fell limp.

Agholor was caught up in a torrent of ice and realized he was not paying close enough attention to Veyelline's fight. He glanced over and saw the beast towering over the limp cat body.  
"NO!" His voice echoed as though it were many voices yelling out at once. Suddenly his entire body bled with purple light and an explosion of void addled ice crystals shot from his body, striking all of the combatants rendering them dead or incapacitated.

He began to limp over to her body, hyperventilating. He was fighting the calls of the void fervently, while also trying to make his way to check if she was still alive. It exhausted him but he was somehow able to calm down. He lifted her face and felt to see if she was breathing, all the while distressed for her safety.  
_Thank Alleria, she is still alive. How could I be so STUPID._  
His hand stroked her chin hoping to somehow ease her pain.  
He then smirked.  
_Broken ribs? That's it? She IS tough._ A devious smile spread across his face. He had found his protege.

Stirred back into consciousness by the feeling of his icy cold hands on her jaw. Her eyes fluttered open and met with his. Having lost her focus, her transformation had reverted and her body reformed into a night elf with her face still in his hand.  
"Agho..OW!" she cried out when she tried to move. Her ribs were shattered. She'd need to cast a few regrowths to fix that up once she gathered her strength back.  
_What happened to me back there... I knew I couldn't take that monster by myself... why did I act so foolishly?_  
Tears began to form in her eyes from the pain and confusion she was feeling. On top of it all, she felt like she had failed him.  
"I'm sorry... I... I couldn't do it... I'm not strong enough yet."

"Shhhh Shhhh hush now. You were quite brave! To be honest I am quite proud of you." He held her cheeks so her face was turned too look at him. His warm smile hung on his face reassuringly.  
I have made a decision Veyelline. I have been looking for a protege. Someone to pass down my knowledge of things, both in life and combat. And I'd ve- very much like it to be you." His blush returned but he tried to control himself to continue seeming professional.  
He wiped his thumbs under her eyes to clear away the tears that had freshly fallen.

She smiled wide... the widest she had in years. Her teardrops continued to streak her face as she was at this point afraid to move with her injuries. But they were now tears of happiness.  
"I want to learn from you," the words left her mouth easily, "It would be my honor to be your protege. I believe it is Elune's will... and I believe it's what my father would want as well. I don't know why... something just tells me it's the right thing."  
With this she fell unconscious yet again.

He smiled as she fell under again. He took a second to study her slender and sleek night elf form while he had the chance.  
_How absolutely stunn-_ The blush returned again and he covered his face in surprise.  
_Oh my, Lorey boy. What have you gotten yourself into._ He carried her to the entrance where he retrieved their bounty an teleported from there to the nearest hospital.

\---

When Veyelline came to, she was... in a cathedral? She was resting in a cot surrounded by holy priests and healers in training. She immediately tried to rise up from the cot to look for Agholor but the pain was still excruciating - She winced and lay back down.  
_Priests..._ she thought to herself, _their healing methods are unnatural...  
_Despite the pain she felt her energy had been restored quite well. She drew power from her own mana to sooth her aching chest with regrowth. She silently thanked whoever had put that small fern on her bedside table with which she could commune with the Dream. 

Agholor rushed to the ward when he was told she had been roused. He rushed in behind the curtains she was being kept behind and shouted slightly without meaning to once he saw her. "Veyelline! You're awake!" He exclaimed with excitement.

Feeling much better now from both the regrowth AND seeing Agholor's face, she was able to sit up with no discomfort at all.  
"I am! Thanks to you..." she looked down at her lap blushing and grinning like an idiot. _Nobody has ever made me feel this way before.  
I'm happy for no good reason. Why?_ 

He walked over and patted her head. "I am glad you are feeling better." He blushed slightly and turned around to walking briskly to the door.  
"Hurry now, once you are... fully dressed, come out to the lobby. We have work to do to officially make you my protege."

She blinked twice at his comment about being dressed. "F-fully..."  
She looked down to see what she had uncovered when the blanket fell from her chest... _OH!  
_If it weren't for her long hair covering it, she would have flashed him! She fell over in embarrassment.  
_I need to be more careful!!!_

"You are quite stunning my friend." He turned back and winked and went to wait for her in the lobby.


	3. The Interview

A few days later once Veyelline was allowed to leave the hospital. Agholor decided to treat her to a lunch. Sort of as a "Sorry I put you in critical condition" lunch. It was at his favorite restaurant in Stormwind. And one of the fanciest ones at that. He lead her to a large stone building with the restaurants name on the face of it, "The Silverspoon".  
"Now Veyelline," he began cordially, "I am taking you to my absolute FAVORITE restaurant. You will love it, and get anything your little heart desires. My treat." He grinned confidently and walked up to hold the door for her.

Veyelline was very eager to get inside. She couldn't remember the last time she ate at a restaurant! And she certainly had never been to a _fancy_ one like this.  
"I am famished... I can't wait to see what's on the menu! Thank you, Agholor... The last time I ate out has to have been with father in Northrend AGES ago."  
She waltzed through the door and took a good look around.

"Northrend? A bunch of Mead and mutton. Nothing of class or taste. Prepare to be amazed!"  
He motioned to a booth with curtains on it. It was his private booth that they kept open for him at his bequest.  
 _If her last time was in Northrend, I may even make her whole year with this_ he loved to treat people and show them his favorite things.  
The waiter came over and poured them both water and some aged wine from Silvermoon.

Vey felt quite a bit out of place in this restaurant wearing her basic leather clothing. She wished she had something nicer but had no fashion sense whatsoever so she wouldn't even know where to begin.   
"I'm sorry I look like such a..." she struggled to think of the right word, "... Sorry that I look so... Uhm... Basic?"  
She reached for the wine glass not quite knowing how to hold it correctly and nearly spilling it all over herself.  
 _Ugh... I'm awful at this fancy thing_

Agholor chuckled. "Well. I happen to be a clothing designer. I could make you something new to wear. Would you like that?" He mused.  
He took a long sip of his wine and swallowed it with a long drawn out "Ahhhhh"

"Oh my... You are just full of talents aren't you?" She was surprised to hear that he dealt in clothing, especially someone of his magical prowess.  
She took a gulp of wine that was definitely too much and nearly spat it all back out. She swallowed what she could and the rest dribbled down her chin and made a mess in her lap (where she had yet to place her napkin.)  
Accepting that this whole lunch would cause her perpetual embarrassment, she tried to steer the subject further.  
"Tell me more about the clothing you make! I am definitely interested in some new things to wear."

He blushed slightly and smiled at the cute druids show of class as well as the clumsiness that resulted from it. His eyes widened to the thought of discussing his designs. He loved to talk about his work, but he decided to remain reserved for now.  
"I deal in the finest fabrics creating top trends for the seasons. They have been in quite high demand." He placed his hands on his cheeks and rested his elbows on the table.  
"I would love to dress you in some of my upcoming summer line, if you would allow it of course."

Her heart fluttered at the sight of him leaned over on his elbows. She took another, lesser, swig of wine.  
"I guess you know better than me... But I'll have to try some on and see how I feel."  
She was actively trying to act posh. She held her wine glass up and swirled it around and looked at it with one eye closed as though she were judging its color.

He smiled deviously. "I'm sure you will look delicious, and speaking of, my first question for you IS... What. Is. Your favorite thing to eat?"  
"Are you carnivore, omnivore, vegetarian. And if you like everything what is best? Tonight is for getting to know one another." He stated. "Being familiar with each other is essential for a Master and his protege!"

Veyelline poured the rest of her wine into her mouth down to the last drop then set down the glass a little too hard with a hearty _aaahhh._  
"I'll eat anything really..." she said, now in the same position he was in with her elbows on the table and her face in her hands. "I learned to live off the land from a young age so I'm not picky at all. I do tend to prefer birds or fish for meat, though. I made many cow and pig friends growing up so I can't imagine them as food."  
She licked her lips thinking about a juicy chicken breast, one of her pointed teeth snagging on her lip.  
"I'll tell you anything you want to know BUT you have to answer all the same questions yourself. Deal?"

Agholor began to beam, having been so leaned in he noticed every subtle nuance of her actions. He began to blush but didn't really care. He sat back and beckoned the waiter to come over. He whispered their order into his ear and sent him off. Then he powered down the rest of his wine similarly to her and then regretting that he sent the waiter off so soon.  
"Very well. I also enjoy most food and try to entertain myself with all possible meals imaginable. My favorite..." He paused to think and put a hand to his beard patch stroking it gently. "Would probably be Suramarian Shark steaks." He legitimately began to drool to the point of it hitting the table.  
"The flavor... The care of Suramarian chefs... So.. perfect..." He began to space out thinking of the delectable meal.

"I'd love to try that!" she replied with enthusiasm.  
For the first time all afternoon she stopped her eyes from wandering all around and instead looked only at Agholor. She studied his facial features as closely as she could... every line in his face, the curve of his ears, and the thick bristles of his blue brows.  
 _I've never thought the Sin'dorei looked very good but... maybe I just never looked close enough? No... he is special._

"Well then you are in for a treat." He said noticing her intense stare. It flustered him, which was odd. He normally is able to keep his composure.  
 _No one has looked at me like this.. in so long_  
He shook his head slightly putting the thought away for now.  
"N-next question! What is your favorite.. COLOR! Again, we are starting easy." He winked at her playfully.

She started to chew on one of her fingernails nonchalantly while she pondered this _highly complicated_ question.  
"Well... when I was little I probably would have said green. I'd probably still say green. But I've grown rather fond of blue as well..." After saying this she froze and her eyes widened. The words left her without a thought, but she almost instantly wished she hadn't said it.  
"W... what about you?"

He has already thought of his favorite colors. "Either a lovely Royal purple, or a nice Autumn Orange for me. Beautiful expressive colors." He sighed thinking about making outfits of each color.  
He snapped back to the conversation swiftly. "Okay next. What is the most relaxing thing you can think of?"

"Mmmhhhh a bath in a hot spring" she said with a gentle exhale, almost instantaneously. "I'll never forget the time father and I found one in Northrend. It was exactly what we needed after another long cold mountain hike."  
She closed her eyes, remembering how much it soothed her aching body, and seeing the look of relief on her father's weary face as he sunk in across from her.  
"Do you not agree?"

The thought of going to a hot spring with her was... stirring, causing him to cross his legs slowly.  
"Honestly... I couldn't agree more." He was impressed with her so far. _She may live up to my expectations yet._  
"For me, a nice day lounging in my parlor, comfy clothes, the room lit only by the Arcane Ivy around the room. Freedom from the busy and the hustle and bustle of the world below. A day in my parlor is all id ask." He stroked his beard again. "Perhaps we could find time in our adventures to indulge these relaxing rituals together sometime!"  
"Next question. You are surrounded by combatants, each waiting for a chance to strike you down. What emotion arises first in this situation?"

"Emotion...?"  
This was a tough one. She may have answered differently when she was a hunter compared to now, so she tried to imagine herself in a situation as though it were currently happening.  
"This isn't an easy question to answer... If I felt well equipped to take them on I'd feel... adrenaline? So, excited? Confident, perhaps?" She worried her words wouldn't make sense so she became flustered and scowled into her empty glass.  
"If I was ambushed or caught off guard I'd definitely feel _fear_ ... but I tend to still do well at defending myself when afraid so it's not necessarily a bad thing."

His eyes glowed brighter to this answer.  
 _What a smart girl she is. Perfect protege material. Time for the final question.  
_ "Alright Veyelline, one last question. WHAT... is your favorite sexual position." He whispered this with a straight face, to show how serious he was and to not disturb people in other booths.

Veyelline's mind went completely blank and her face turned completely maroon.  
"Ehhrmm... What?!"  
Was she going insane? Did he really just ask that question? She stared with a hand over her mouth, eyes the size of saucers, waiting for him to clarify.

"What is your favorite position to be in when preforming sexual intercourse." He spoke clearly and annunciated it all with a straight face again, quite serious.

"I... Uuhhm... I..."  
She placed her hands on both sides of her face and looked down at the table in embarrassment.  
"I don't.. I've never.. I can't..."  
She took a deep breath to try to calm her nerves and just blurted it out.  
"I'm a virgin!"

He caught himself from choking on his wine.  
 _I-I did not expect this!_  
His face widened with a huge smile and he reached across the table to grab her hands and hold them.  
"Veyelline... I want you to know. You have passed. You have officially met all the qualifications to be my protege."  
"Will you accept?"

Her face was hot on fire with blush and she felt dizzy. _Why did he ask that question... And why did I answer? Oh Elune... Oh Cenarius...  
_ "Yee-yes? Yes, " she croaked.  
"But..."  
Suddenly feeling the color drain back out if her, she had a swell of courage within her.  
 _It's only fair._  
"You have to answer the question too."

His face went dark. Never had a candidate ever asked HIM this question before.  
 _Perfection. She will be a true force to be reckoned with._  
He smiled and bent over the table motioning her to come closer so he could whisper in her ear.  
"My favorite position, if you must know. Is to start by preforming oral and work my way so that I am on top. But honestly." He paused briefly. "literally nothing is out of the question."

She nodded gently, feeling warm and fuzzy inside from how close his face was to hers, and even warmer and fuzzier when she mentally processed what he had said.  
She grabbed her water glass and downed it in one chugging session. _Where's that waiter?!  
_ She had nothing else to say at this point... she was simply coasting along as though on a cloud or within a dream.

The waiter came and set two large platters down. One with his favorite Suramarian shark steaks and a platter of various rotisserie poultry seasoned perfectly.  
"Ahhh the feast! At last! Dig in my young... Protege." He gave her a reassuring wink and motioned to the food.

The rest of the lunch went by in a blur to Veyelline. She ate in silence, occasionally nodding when he would speak, or smiling at his attempt at joking. It was tough because on the inside she was still very conflicted. Her actions did not make sense to her mind, and this was the first time in her life she felt like she may not fully be in control of herself for reasons beyond those that were expected or explained to her by her father or her brief encounters with her mother and druid trainers.  
 _Father told me that sometimes emotions can cause one to do crazy things... What kind of emotion could cause this?  
_ _Why does he make me happy... why does he make me say things I don't want to say, and do things I don't want to do? Why am I okay with it?  
_ _I am okay with it...  
_ _Not only okay... I want it... I crave it._  
Her head just couldn't stop spinning.

"So Vey, where do you keep your belongings? We will want to move your things to your new residence soon!"

 _New residence?_  
This finally enticed her to speak.  
"What do you mean... ? If you're asking if I have a home, I'm afraid I don't. I never have really. I've been a roamer my entire life. Everything I own is on my person."

He placed a hand on her head, forgetting until now of her predicament with her father.  
"What if I told you, as my protege, you would have your own private residence in my tower in Dalaran? A place you could keep the things dear to you, and to sleep at night. A space to decorate and be your own. Would you enjoy that?" He asked excitedly.

A smile bloomed on her face, again among the widest she'd ever managed.  
 _A home? Of my own... no, better... to share with a friend? To share with HIM?  
_ "That would be... that would be so amazing, Agholor! Do you really mean it?" she was so excited she was now bobbing up and down.

"Then why wait?" His face beamed with excitement. He finally had a new friend to explore and teach with. He hadn't been this excited in a very long time.  
He took her hand and whisked her outside and placed her fingers on his upturned palms.  
"Okay be calm and relax. This will take some getting used to. Are you ready?"

She was still grinning and her stomach was flipping at the feeling of his hands against hers.  
"Oh! Ready for wha-"

In that instant he teleported them outside his tower in Dalaran. It was one of the smaller ones in the city but it was still a tower. It looked over the city buildings and was all his.  
"Right this way my dear." He walked over to the door, opened it up and took a short bow showing her in.

"OH my goodness" she exclaimed. It had been a few decades since she had set foot in Dalaran. She staggered around for a moment taking it all in before scurrying after Agholor in through the door.

They entered into a foyer lined with arcane ivy on the moldings and ceilings and hanging from the spiral staircase near the back. There was a desk up at the front of the room that was surrounded by mannequins and racks of clothing. Behind the desk stood a young Drenai girl.  
"Greetings Maelha! How goes the shop today?"

Veyelline was suddenly overcome with a very sick feeling in her stomach when she saw the petite young Draenei girl at the other end of the room.  
Maelha immediately stopped what she was doing and ambled towards Agholor excitedly.  
"Welcome home, master Agholor! The shop is well! I hope _you_ are.. It's been a couple of weeks now since you left, I've been so worried!"  
She walked right up to him with outstretched arms for an embrace.  
Veyelline's jaw dropped open in angry shock. If she were a cat she would surely be growling right now.

Ahgolor reached out and grabbed the young draenei's hand that had been out stretched for a hug. "Excellent work Maelha, the shop definitely looks cleaner than I left it!" He chuckled lightly at his own joke, since his standards for clean where not known to this realm. "I would like you to meet my protege. My newest pupil of magics and their applications!" He looked over at Veyelline warmly and smiled. " This is my tailoring apprentice, Maelha! She is quite the prodigy herself when it comes to fabric craft."

Maelha, seemingly somewhat annoyed that she didn't get the hug she wanted, turned her attention to Veyelline with a great big fake smile.  
"Ah! A mage in training? Nice to meet you! Your clothes are.. Leather? Leather, why is she wearing leather?" Maelha inquired.  
Veyelline cleared her throat and bowed her head to hide her scowl. "I am Veyelline Lunaveil of the Kaldorei, daughter of Thelaros, Druid in training." she recited, her voice quiet and void of emotion. She lightly outstretched a hand.  
"The pleasure is mine, Veyelline." Maelha said, taking the outstretched hand with the same fake smile plastered on her face. She held it for only a moment and very lightly. "Well, since you probably want to help her get settled I'll go back to work then. Just let me know if you need anything!" she smiled warmly at Agholor but glared at Veyelline.  
 _Great_ she thought, _so it was too good to be true after all.._

"She may well be THE most promising student I have ever taken on." He beamed with pride. "Alright Veyelline, follow me upstairs to tour private quarters." He took her hand and carried it excitedly upstairs.

Despite the threatening vibes she was receiving from Maelha, Agholor managed to dissipate Veyelline's worry simply by taking her hand... The hand she now wanted to make sure only ever touched her and not Maelha.  
She was happy to be removed from the tense draenei's gaze and climbed the spiral staircase excitedly.

They entered a room that was quite large with large amounts of space, in the far back of the room centered was a king sized bed with many pillows, to the right, bookshelves lining the wall, and to the left, a large window with a coffee table and chairs sitting in the dalaran sunlight.  
"This is all yours Vey. You own it now. Decorate literally however you want, use whatever books from here or my library you need. Be imaginative, it's yours now, he then motioned behind them. My door, is right across the hall should you need absolutely ANYTHING, I will help to put you at ease. Only the best for my new student!" He smiled smugly, full of pride.

She couldn't believe the amount of space in the room! She was downright giddy. She loped around looking at every little detail and imagining what she things she could collect and keep here.  
"Agholor.. I don't know how to thank you for this. It's just... I've never had anything like this before!" She slowly walked back over towards him, beaming with joy. She stopped just in front of him, looking at her feet and twisting her hands into knots.  
 _I want him to hold me._

He smiled warmly and saw her fidget though he couldn't put his finger on why. He put his hands on her shoulders and smiled at her with raised eyebrows. "If these living arrangements are agreeable, I feel it may be time for bed. We will have lots to do tomorrow!"

She looked down at him with her rosy face, feeling the sleepiness overcoming her, and nodded without a word. _Surely he won't mind..._  
She closed her eyes and bent down to place her head next to his and wrapped her arms up beneath his elbows and onto his upper back. It wasn't a tight hug because she was so nervous but.. It was something. And it made her feel as though the rest of the world had stood still around them.  
"Thank you for everything. I will do my best to make you proud as your protege."

He smiled and felt the warmth of his new student on him. He felt he should reassure her that hugs are okay to give and receive between them so he squeezed her back tight. "It was my pleasure Veyelline."

With this she released him. With a soft smile, and the rosiness in her cheeks continuing to linger, she turned and walked towards the bed.  
"Goodnight, then."

"Goodnight my young apprentice! Sleep well and enjoy your room!" He said as he walked out and slowly shut the door. The sound of him humming and entering his room from across the hall echoing in the hallway outside.

Veyelline collapsed into the massive bed and let out a muffled yell into one of the many pillows which her face conveniently landed on.  
She muttered out loud to herself in broken Darnassian for several minutes -  
 _I've lost my mind!  
_ _Oh yeah, dad, about that VOID ADDLED BLOOD ELF I MET IN THE TROLL RUINS  
_ _Oh don't worry! He sometimes walks around in nothing but a JOCK STRAP  
_ _Did I mention he has a draenai apprentice who probably wants to kill me?  
_ _YES THINGS ARE GOING WELL... MOTHER!_  
She lay there letting her feelings go wild for about an hour before sleep finally came and gave her peace.


	4. The Emerald Dream

Veyelline awakened with a jolt from yet another nightmare - she seemed to be having lots of those lately. This time she dreamed she had found her father but he didn't remember or recognize her at all. It had left her feeling very lonely and sad this bright Dalaran morning.  
She sat up and looked around the huge mostly empty room wondering what to do with herself. She decided it would be best to see if Agholor was up yet so she could start her training with him.  
She put on her usual plain leather garb and headed downstairs.

Agholor had been up before the sun rose. He couldn't sleep, he never could. But the interaction from the night before had kept his mind spinning. He had been reorganizing his library all night, as well as doing patch up work to some of the pieces in the show room. Currently he was in the front room at the loom, coloring different lengths of fabric. He was wearing his work smock over his traveling garb, as he had already prepared for their day out.

Veyelline wandered into the room where he was working and was overjoyed to see him. Her nightmare had left her feeling very needy for companionship.  
"Good morning, Shan'do," she greeted him. "You are working on your tailoring?"

His face brightened at the sight of her, as well as the tone of the greeting.  
__What a relief..  
__"Good morning my protege! Are we ready for our first day?" He smiled still deciding which of the few dozen lessons he had prepared that night.

She smiled wide and nodded.  
"I very much am... I feel as though in this city I am surrounded by those much stronger and smarter than I... I want to fit in! And... I want to better commune with the wild."  
She wondered what the druid community in this part of the world was like. She hoped her mother would come along at some point during these excursions to guide her.

"Excellent!" He threw off his smock, "Maelha! Look after the store! Veyelline and I are going out!" He took her by the hand and led her outside to the bright streets of Dalaran.

Vey hadn't even noticed Maelha in the room with them. She looked over to see the young draenei at a loom of her own, working away.  
"Yes, master," she replied in her thick Draenic accent without even looking up from her work. However, just before Veyelline was pulled from the room she could have sworn she caught a glimpse of the girl stating daggers at them both.

The city was bustling this day as he led them to Krassus landing. "Today I will take you to a place I think you will very much like." He leads her by her hand, holding it tight so she does not fall behind in the crowd, the sweet scent of his perfume wafting behind him.

When she felt his grip on her hand tighten, she tightened her grip right back. She was thankful that he was guiding her because she would surely have gotten lost - so many sights to see were distracting!  
She kept her eyes fixated on his glowing tentacle just to make double sure they did not get separated.

Once they arrived at Krassus landing he summoned his traveling companion in the broken isles. It was a beautiful purple Hippogryph with blue armor on it's wings and beak.  
"Veyelline, hop on. Today we travel for Val'Sharah!"

She had heard of Val'Sharah! Chatter among the other druids back in the Moonglade mentioned it often. It was said that Cenarius himself resided there, and it was like the Emerald Dream made real in the physical world. She had also heard the tales of a champion who had helped to cleanse a nightmare corruption from taking over originating in this land.  
"Wow... The REAL Val'Sharah?! I... I never thought I'd be able to go there!" she exclaimed.  
"You've been before?"

He chuckled lightly. "Of course, and I have met Cenarius before. But never mind that! Today we will work on connecting you to the dream and Elune after our travels. This close to the source it may lead you to answers, and perhaps questions needing answers!" They kicked off and began to fly towards the thick forests of Val' sharah.

 _ _I can't believe it...__ she thought to herself, emotion washing over her, __he really is going to help me just like he promised that first day.__  
She wondered how things would play out so that she might be able to both learn from him as his protege and also learn from the other druids in this land. The thought of meeting Cenarius face to face...  
Maybe this was why her instincts had guided her to Agholor after all.

They touched down in Val'sharah in a large clearing, surrounded by titanic trees and wildlife everywhere. They hopped off the gryph and looked at the beauty before them. "Go ahead and soak it in, get comfortable. We will use this spot for our training today." 

Veyelline's jaw dropped open in awe as she surveyed the area. It was breathtaking. She also already felt her druidic power buzzing inside her more strongly than ever just by being in this land. All the things they said about it being a mirror of the Dream must have been true.  
She promptly transformed into a cat with ease. This time, her transformation was a bit different! She felt stronger inside so her inner cat was also stronger - her mane was more full and her coloring was more maroon than violet. She had long tufts of soft hair on the end of her tail as well.  
She bounded around feeling the lush grasses between her toes and breathing in the clean fresh air.

Agholor nearly fell off his feet and held both hands to his cheeks in awe.  
__Wh-what a magnificent transformation!! What fun prancing! H-how adorable!  
__He tried to snap out of it but couldn't instead he let out a laugh and clapped to cheer the young druid on.

After happily leaping around for just a few more minutes she finally came to a stop right in front of him and returned to her natural form.  
"This... __pant__... Is... __pant__... The most wonderful place... I've ever been" she said between tired breaths. "I already feel stronger just by being here! Elune be praised!"  
She found a soft patch of moss with her bare feet and sat down on it to finish catching her breath.

He patted her head before walking over and removing his upper cloth garb revealing his blue upper-body to better allow him to breath. "I am glad you are enjoying yourself. Learning __should__ be fun.  
Now let's get started!" He crossed his legs, rested his hands on his knees and took a deep breath. "Get yourself in the most comfortable state and allow yourself to tap into the dream."

She found it interesting how much Agholor seemed to know about druid powers. He had either done a lot of studying or his talk with Cenarius had given him lots of knowledge to absorb. She was impressed.  
She did as she was told - she copied the position Agholor was in almost perfectly. It was indeed very comfortable.  
She inhaled a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. Her eyes fluttered closed and her mind grew more calm by the minute. She focused her druidic energy on the plants and animals around her - vines had started to grow up out of the ground beneath her and wrap around her ankles and wrists gently.

He noticed the vines and sat in awe at her druidic prowess.  
__She is far more powerful than she knows__  
"Once you are completely comfortable and one with your surroundings, I want you to delve deep inside you. Find the doors of your mind and open them. There may be questions, there may be answers. Allow yourself to be guided by these questions and answers freely. They are your own personal thoughts, nothing to be afraid of."  
To that he smirked to himself, he could never open the doors of his mind so freely, or else be lost forever to madness.  
"Any questions you come across, feel free to ask me. I may not know too much about druidic ways. But I do know magic. I may be able to help you find any answers Elune or the dream may be leading you to."

Her mind grew fuzzy and scattered. She was seeing through the eyes of a nearby squirrel! Then, she felt cold and wet... she was a frog preparing to eat a fly. Finally, she felt strong, firm, and felt like her nerve endings went on for miles - a very large old tree. Her roots went deep into the soil, satisfying her great thirst. Her leaves drew in the sunlight and made her feel full and warm. They touched the leaves of other nearby trees so she knew she was not alone.  
When she opened her eyes again they were shining deep emerald green. She was part of Azeroth and it was part of her. But there was still so little she knew... she was still so small. She wanted to grow tall and strong like the tree.  
With a voice as clear as purified water, she began to speak.

"Child of the void, who hath given everything for power, what now do you seek?" 

Agholor's eyes shot open and looked toward the young night elf who's eyes began to glow.  
He began hearing thousands of whispers speaking at once.

`Child of th-`  
Child of-  
        Child  
    of  
        of the Void

"Wha- what did you just say?"

Unwavering, she answered.  
" _ _Ren'dorei__ , you gave yourself to the shadows without fear, and were strong enough to keep your mind intact. What more can one accomplish in this life? What now do you seek?"

He began to falter slightly, the voices whispering louder and more frequently.

`POWER- ..perfection..`  
Dominion-..revelation  
..silence-LIFE EVERLASTING  
sexual..conquest..-devotion..  
Blood-peace..  
ple...asure..-Supplocation  
Love..-Acknowledgement  
KNOWLEDGE-gOLD

He looked at her, trying to maintain control, centering his mind and drowning the murmurs. Her connection to the dream was impressive, He smiled through his growing terror of himself in pride.  
"One accomplishment cannot measure to the events of a lifetime Veyelline. There is more to do, more to discover, perhaps even greater things than the achievements of my past."

She didn't move. She didn't acknowledge what he said. She simply moved on to another question.  
"A father to teach you and raise you in his image. A mother to give you life and nurse your body by giving you her own. The bonds of blood are eternal and can never be changed. Who are your blood-kin? Where are they now?"

These questions seemed strangely targeted at him, but he accepted it as the inquisitive nature of the magic mixed with her young psyche.  
"I grew up in the mage school, orphaned there. I have never known my parents or any blood relatives. I have been alone most of my life."  
He smiled, and attempted to commune with the force inside.  
"Awfully inquisitive of you, to whom do I owe the pleasure of addressing?"

Again, she ignored his words.  
"This one would go to the ends of the earth to find her father. How far will you go in aid of this quest? How far are you capable of going having never known the bonds of your own blood?"

His eyes widened at this comment.  
"I have never broken a promise, nor do I plan to. Besides, this one is quite special to me. I will see her training complete and her father found. You who have such knowledge of my endeavors. What makes you think I am incapable of finding this one's father after peering into the void? That being said. I undertake this task with more than just my honor in mind." He trailed off.  
_Something about her..._  
He paused realizing he had become far too trusting of whatever spoke through her. He cleared his throat.  
"I will protect her with my life, and guide her to what she seeks. On my life I pledge this."

There was a pause... a long pause. Veyelline's eyes again fluttered closed. The vines that had begun to grow up and onto her were now all the way up to her neck and face, and twisted around her ears.  
A bright green light shone from the center of her chest, and from it the image of a great green cat materialized. It seemed to leap directly out of her!  
The image of the cat stared at Agholor with burning white eyes that seemed to stare into his soul. It looked as though it were ready to pounce at any moment.

A voice then came out from all around them - like the trees and grass themselves were speaking as one.  
"Help her find Thelaros. He is suffering. His body and heart are breaking more and more each day, wracked with grief. Veyelline needs to be able to heal, inspire, and motivate by becoming the most skillful druid she can be. You... will provide the training to mend a broken mind."

It slowly began to fade away. "I gave my daughter life, Thelaros taught her how to live, and now you... you must take her onward."

Before the last words had been spoken the cat had disappeared and all of the vines had released Veyelline. Her body collapsed deep into the moss.

"Veyelline!"  
Agholor rushed to the night elf's side, but after a few steps he became dizzy. He tried to regain his balance and began to hear whispers all over. He began to tremble and punched himself in the leg until to snap himself out of it.  
__Stay STRONG Ahgolor__  
He was able to shake himself out of it. He scurried over to her side. She was still covered with vine bits. He cleaned her off and held her in his lap.  
His heart started to flutter.  
__Wh- I.. I will help her. I must_  
_He watched her closely, planning to tend to her until she came to.

It took quite some time for Veyelline to regain her consciousness - roughly thirty minutes passed before she stirred.  
She groaned and scowled, and slowly opened her silver eyes... her normal eyes... to see Agholor's face looking down at her with concern.  
"Agholor... " she said softly, "... My mother... I saw my mother... she took me into the Dream."

 _ _Her mother?__  
"I think I may have met her as well Veyelline.."  
He had never witnessed druidic magic quite like this. Possession, matter manipulation, astral projection. It was beautiful, and yet... It had the power to break his hold over himself, and that terrified him.  
"You are going to be fine my dear," He brushed some hair off her face. "Do you remember anything?"

She closed her eyes when his fingers brushed her face. Her body felt warm and content. She wanted to stay like this with him forever.  
"I remember... feeling like I wanted more. I wanted to know more and become stronger... like a tree."  
She turned her head to be closer to his body.  
"I remember mother walking up to me and embracing me... and the next thing I knew I was in the Dream. I wandered there for quite some time. I felt at peace... but I also felt... anxious? Like I was needed elsewhere. I was drawn towards the north. I followed a trail northward for a very long time until I saw a gigantic mountain... the highest mountain I've ever seen. And then... I woke up here."  
She opened her eyes again and furrowed her brow.  
"You met her as well?"

"She had a few questions for me, it seems she is still looking out for your best interest." He smiled slyly.  
__Highmountain must be where her father is__  
This is a good first step but there is still some you need to learn before we make it to where your mother has shown you."  
He began to zone out, thinking of ways to help Veyelline learn to reach out to what her mother described as a broken mind.

She sighed, deciding finally to rise from his comfortable lap to sit with her hands around her knees.  
"She's certainly a mysterious one... but I trust her. I have to. She is my kin."  
Veyelline wished she were able to know more about her mother. All she had to go on was that she was an Archdruid, serving directly at Cenarius's side. She had to believe that she had her best interests in mind. Without her guiding hand, there was not much left for Veyelline to believe in.

"I would Imagine family is quite important." He spoke softly, disturbed slightly from the mix of family emotions and the toll this whole ordeal had on him.

Noticing the change of tone in his voice worried Veyelline. She turned to look at him and placed a hand on his shoulder in concern.  
"... I just realized... I don't believe I've ever heard you speak of your family."  
__How selfish I've been...  
__"I don't want to pry... so you don't have to tell me, but..." she squeezed his shoulder gently, "We have only known each other for a short while but I already feel as though you are my family."

Agholor’s heart ignited in such a way he hadn't felt before. He was frozen, unable to figure out what to do next.  
__What peculiar sensations, never has one affected me so. Wha- what is going on with me..  
__Suddenly he turned to her and hugged her as tight as he could. He held her for a while, unable to process what to do next.

Vey's eyes widened and her face turned bright pink, completely caught off-guard by the tight embrace.  
__It has been... decades... since I was held like this. No... I have never truly been held before now.__  
She wrapped her arms around him and lowered her face into his shoulder.  
"... I hope my mother was kind to you."

He realized he had been holding her for longer than what was normal for a friendly embrace but he couldn't help it.  
Once he had his fill and was feeling better he put his hands on her shoulders, and looked into her eyes with a smile and tears in his eyes.  
"I have never had a family before Veyelline. I hope to make you proud to have me as one of yours.." A tear ran down his face.  
He wiped it from his eye. __A tear? what in the name of Azeroth..__

Veyelline was so glad to see that her words had improved his mood so much and even brought a happy tear to his eye.  
"I am already proud... And prepared to face all challenges under your tutelage."  
  
With this said the pair explored the area for just a little longer, to see if they could find anything interesting. They did manage to run into some of the locals - some friendly druids who lived there. They provided wisdom to Veyelline on some places throughout Val'Sharah that she should visit for the purpose of training. Agholor took notes. It had already been a long and tiring day so they returned to Dalaran for the night.

\-----

Agholor led Veyelline home, trying to mask his absolute and complete exaustion. They walked through the now much less crowded streets of Dalaran at a leisurely pace "Veyelline I believe I have some delicious noodles and meats I could prepare for us this evening, would you like that?"

To this, her stomach answered with an audible growl. She was famished.  
"Yes... I'd like that VERY much! I can help as well, Shan'do."  
She wanted to be a useful student in every way, including helping him around the house. It was the least she could do for him providing that gorgeous room for her.  
She already had obtained her first decoration for her room this day - She purchased a handmade quilt from a traveling merchant on the forest path, with a matching throw pillow. Deep indigo with maroon trim.

"Are you a good cook Veyelline?" He inquired, seeing her eagerness.

"Well," she did a small twirl as she walked and was now walking backwards, "When I was a hunter I learned a lot about food. I learned how to use all parts of an animal, and also much about wild plants and fruits for eating. I cooked many a meal for myself and my father while we were together. He taught me well! Our meals were simple but they kept us going, and that was what mattered most."  
She reminisced about some of her favorite dishes that he taught her to make, her favorites being poultry or small game. Something was off-putting to her about eating pork, beef, or deer although she would do so if there were no other choice. 

"Then, if you are willing, maybe you can cook for us tonight? I would be delighted to partake in you and your father's recipes!" He walked up to the door and opened it with a bow allowing her to walk in.  
Agholor's cooking was truthfully gods-awful so he thought maybe this would be best.

"I will do my best, Shan'do!" she said with a smile and a bow. "Just show me to the kitchen and I'll get started..." she paused for a moment, looking down at her raggedy dirt-covered leather robe. "... as soon as I can get into some more decent clothes." 

Agholor's smile seemed to grow bigger each time she said Shan'do. It became one of his favorite of her quirks quickly. He then decided to go up to his room to but then notices something behind the counter.  
"O-oh! Hello Maelha! How was your day?"

If Vey were in her cat form, her mane would have stood on end. She froze in place when she remembered that __ah yes, Maelha also lives here. Maelha is also Agholor's apprentice.__  
"Master," Maelha curtsied when he addressed her, "My day was well, I finished ALL of the orders on your backlog! I can show you just so you're sure I did a good job."  
__She seems to be in good spirits..__ mused Veyelline.  
"What about you? You two smell __awful__... Did she have you rolling in manure?" Maelha gestured towards Vey while frowning dramatically and holding her nose.  
__Never mind.__

"Oh do we? Well it will be straight to the bath after dinner for me then! By the way, dear Veyelline will be making us dinner tonight!" He said loudly from excitement. He turned back to Veyelline,  
"All I have are a few birds in storage, I hope that will suffice!"

Vey was scowling at Maelha up until Agholor called her "dear" which melted her anger right away.  
"I am honored!" she said happily.  
__Shoot... I need to make something really good or I will never hear the end of it from Maelha.__

"Is that so? Well... I'm curious to try your Darnassian cuisine!" she said with what Vey detected as a hint of sarcasm in her voice.  
She smiled her fake smile once more and then reached for Agholor's hand.  
"Come, master, I must show you my work!"  
Just like that he was whisked away and Veyelline was left there in her dirty robes to go and start cooking.

"Feel free to wear anything off the racks Veyelllinnnneeeee" He was pulled back into the work room and the door shut.

Now left to her own devices, she decided to get tidied up and go in search of the kitchen. As Agholor suggested, she browsed the racks of the clothing for sale and settled on a basic blue evening dress. It wasn't too expensive so she hoped it wouldn't be a problem. She ran upstairs to drop off her quilt and pillow, and get changed.  
It didn't take her long to find the kitchen - she simply went into cat form and used her nose to snuff out the spices! It was a humble kitchen compared to the test of the home. Not too large not too small, but seemed to have everything she needed.  
She noticed an apron hanging from the wall next to the door and promptly put it on. She retrieved all the ingredients she needed to make a favorite of her father's recipes - He called them "bird bags." They were essentially dumplings filled with boiled ground poultry. She spent the next half hour or so preparing them and putting her heart and soul into making sure they would be perfect.

"So Maelha, what did you want to show me back here?" He mused. Her work was almost always perfect so he didn't normally check over her work. "Something you are proud of?"

Maelha turned and clapped her hands together with enthusiasm.  
"YES! It is the culmination of your teachings, master. You remember... The order from __her__... The one you told me not to touch just yet?" With this, she pulled a sheet off of a mannequin behind her to reveal one of the most opulent dresses Agholor had ever seen. It was a sweetheart high-low ballgown shimmering with red and gold gemstones and sequins. It looked fit for a queen.  
"Voila!! I was __struck__ with inspiration and I just.. I just had to make it!! What do you think?"

Agholor looked it up and down studying the stitching and the materials used. "Well Maelha.. It is quite a fantastic, but there may have been a reason why I told you not to touch it yet. Hmm?"

"Y.. Yes! Yes... I know you wanted me to wait, I know I've disobeyed but.. You keep telling me I'm doing good and I keep wanting to broaden my horizons! So I.. I couldn't help myself."  
She was fidgeting now and laughing nervously, hoping this whole thing wouldn't backfire on her somehow.

"The stitching is quite spectacular, and you have followed the order to a T. However, there was a design change that came in today. I did not have time to write it down, and it was quite intricate." He was looking very serious as he stared down the dress. "You need to heed my instructions, I do not give them for no reason."

Maelha almost instantly started sobbing... Loudly.  
"OHHhhh pheta vi acahachi... I am a FAILURE of a student," she wailed dramatically, "I'm __sniff__ s-so __sniff__ SSORRYYYY!"

"You are right though, your skills are rivaling even mine in what you know. I am fully impressed. And in the end you have saved me a great deal of time getting most of this done. I adore your enthusiasm." He smiled at her warmly, a teacher to his student "Do not let this deter you. Do not let your artists mind rest. You are definitely a master tailor in the making!"

Just as quickly as she started crying she stopped, and wiped her eyes clean.  
"R..really? Oh, master Agholor... You are too kind!"  
She started towards him to attempt to hug him.

Agholor received the hug and patted her back. "Everything is fine my dear." He began to sniff the air, something smells.. good? Let's go see what Veyelline is cooking huh?"

Meanwhile in the kitchen, Veyelline had the fire pit roaring and the dumplings nearly finished. Agholor had enough food in there to prepare enough for a few days of leftovers! She hoped that it would be so good that it would all be eaten in one sitting though.  
Using the fire pit in the kitchen was a nice luxury. She was used to just making a campfire outside but this was incredibly handy. She could get used to this whole __having a home__ thing.

Agholor and Maelha walked into the kitchen together, his nose high in the air smelling at the freshly cooked meal. "Oh my Veyelline what have you prepared for us tonight? It smells... Heavenly..."  
He hadn't eaten in a day or so besides nuts and such, so he began drooling immediately.

She carried the large heavy pot to the table and set it down with a thump.  
"My father called these 'bird bags'! It's chicken. It's nothing special but.. It was a favorite of mine growing up. I made more than enough for all of us!"  
She placed a bowl at each chair but no utensils, inferring that they would be eaten by hand.  
"Let them cool for a few minutes... If you have any sauce you want to eat with them I'll go and see if i can find it for you."  
She was downright giddy. It felt good to make a meal for someone! Especially someone she cared for... She just sincerely hoped Maelha would not make a stink.  
"Oh, also, do you have wine or ale? I assume it's kept elsewhere?"

"Ahhh a wine pairing would be devine! I'm sure I have a nice white wine here to pair with it," he poofed a bottle of Chardonnay from his wine cellar in front of him and conjured a few glasses. He then lifted the bowl of dumplings to his nose and sniffed furiously. "What a delectable scent! Bird bags you sai-?" He stifled a laugh at the ridiculous name, and then realized, "a recipe from your father hmm?"

"The name sounds a little... Less silly... In Darnassian." Vey responded with a grin.

Maelha seemed like she was trying very hard to keep a straight face. However, she also looked to be drooling over the food in front of her.  
"Shall I pour the wine, master?" she inquired, reaching for the bottle.

"Mmm yes please!" He reached in with his hands to grab a dumpling and help it up to his face to inspect it. He gave it a few soft squeezes to test it's tenderness. And then suddenly __plop__ he sucked it into his mouth. "V-veyelline..." He stammered.

"Y... yes Shan'do?" she responded, eyes glistening, hands clasped together eagerly hoping he liked it.

"I-It's... Wonderful... So juicy and tender, the dough melts in your mouth just perfectly... BRAVA!" His eyes seemed to glaze over from taste Bliss and drool ran down his face to plop on the table. He wiped it away and took quite a swig of wine. "Magnificent Veyelline!" He gave her a head pat.  
"Best Bird Bags I have ever tasted in my life!" 

"THANK YOU!" she squealed in joy. "I was worried I'd be too rusty at this... I haven't cooked in ages for myself, let alone someone else... I'm so glad." She got some for herself as well as her wine glass and began to dig in.

Maelha rolled her eyes, and took a bite... Once doing so, she could not continue being bitter because it tasted that good. She too was clearly impressed despite not saying so.

Ahgolor devoured his meal very quickly and used his wine to wash it down as though it were water. Afterward he lay back with his hands on his stomach.  
"Uggghhhh, THAT.. was delicious." He made a small burp into his hand.  
"Veyelline you have quite the gift!"  
His cheeks turned rosy, with his exhausted state he was not monitoring how much wine he consumed.

Maelha, having kept count of how many glasses he had drank, poured Agholor yet another glass of wine with a sly grin. "Here you are, master."

Veyelline hadn't had much yet so she wasn't feeling much. She saw what Maelha was doing and grew concerned, so she devised a plan. "Shan'do... We did so much in Val'sharah today. I think it'd be best if we both went off to bed. There is still much to do tomorrow, yes?" She rose and walked over to retrieve the wine before he could take another sip.

Maelha scowled, pouring more into her own glass instead and offering it to Agholor. "She is right of course, but you've earned this time for friendly leisure, master, you work so hard! Please stay up and enjoy our company just a bit longer?"

Agholor hiccuped slightly and looked at Veyelline and then back at Maela. "Wh- what a lucky teacher I a-am... Having ssuch lovely students.." He sniffed his armpit slightly. "OOH, Maelha was right I am ri-ripe.." He stood up and grabbed the wine glass from Maelha, "I think, I think I may retire to the bath and then bed for the evening." He began to take a few swigs of wine from his glass.

Veyelline and Maelha made angry eye contact in this moment, realizing both of their plans had converged into one. Maelha then pouted, "Goodnight then master," then under her breath, "I hope you actually get some sleep for once."  
Vey snatched the now empty wine glass from his hand and set it back down. "Come along, Shan'do." She took his arm and put it around her shoulder to help him up the stairs. Maelha shot Vey one last dirty look before they exited the room together.

Agholor's heart began to flutter half way up the stairs. His moments with Veyelline alone have become increasingly emotional in ways he couldn't quantify.  
"T-thank you for your aid V-vey.. I don't know exactly what got into me this evening." He held himself close to her for stability, but also to feel her warmth.  
"I hope today was helpful. You definitely helped me today, and have been enjoying your company tho-thoroughly.."

Feeling his grip on her grow tighter made her body swell with tingling warmth and her cheeks darken in color.  
"Today was incredibly helpful... I am glad I was able to visit a place so close with the Dream. I look forward to spending much more time there."  
She wondered if his words and behavior were true, or just the alcohol in his system talking.  
She hoped it was the former. "I enjoy your company too my friend.. More so than I can put in words." 

Agholor smiled and allowed the young night elf to the bathroom door. The words rattled in his brain.  
__More so than I can put in words__ He got a twinge of excitement from this phrase, but he couldn't pinpoint as to why.  
"Ahhhh, I cannot wait for the warm waters.. to wash over me." He said excitedly.

"W.. would you like for me to join you, Shan'do?" Veyelline asked nervously. She didn't normally bathe more than once per week but she was worried he might drown if he was in there alone in his current state.

"Veyelline.. I would be h-honored if you joined me __hic__ because you are a g-good student who is so nice!" The wine began to affect him slightly more. He couldn't quite remember how many Maelha had given him. Six? Twelve? Either way he would be glad to have company and the assistance.  
"Let us get squi-squeaky clean!" He motioned to the bath triumphantly.

\----- SKIP -----


	5. The Feathers

After the encounter with Veyelline's mother in Val'sharah, life went on, and immense progress was made on Veyelline's training.

Agholor took her out to Val'sharah many more times until she became comfortable enough to fly there herself on the back of his griffon whom she had grown fond of. She fully explored the land there and made good relations with the local druids - the Dreamweavers. They shared their wisdom with her and she completed tasks for them in return to help them with their daily lives and their own journeys of self-discovery.

While she would be out in the wilds, Agholor studied hard to put his knowledge of mental fortitude into a regimen that could be passed along to others. He looked into magic that could help to heal minds and cure amnesia. He didn't know what they would be dealing with when they finally did meet with Thelaros, so he had many bases to cover. The void held many secrets related to the mind and consciousness that he felt he could take advantage of to help in this quest.

Maelha and Veyelline continued to feel tension between each other but behaved themselves for the most part for Agholor's sake. They mostly coped with their issues by ignoring each other as much as possible. Veyelline cooked many more meals for them, which were always exquisite despite being simple. Veyelline's room had gone from being empty and open to being full of life and color. Every time she came home she had a new trinket, plant, or handmade item to add to the decor. She truly made it her own and loved the space dearly - for the first time in her life she had a true home.

The connection between Veyelline and Agholor grew stronger every day. Every evening when she would come home, they would talk about the things they did and discovered that day. Each was ever so eager to hear what the other had to say. They were slowly but surely becoming the best of friends. Vey would miss him every time they were apart, and Agholor would miss her just as much. Still, they both had it in their minds to keep the relationship as professional as possible since they were master and student. It hurt but it was necessary. They continued to hold their bathing rituals together, at least once per week, until they were no longer an awkward ordeal and became just a normal part of their life together.

Months passed by this way until one fateful day, Veyelline learned an impressive new skill...

\-----

Agholor had just finished up what he felt was the culmination of months of research. His mind full of techniques they could use to potentially bring Thelaros back from the brink. But for now, he would relax, he walked over to a large lavender leather couch and sprawled himself out on it.  
"Ugggghhhhh what a day, my brain may not be able to take much more!" He hung a hand dramatically over his brow, and then began to giggle.  
_Oh you silly fool, it would take much more to fill MY mind_ He praised himself.

From the front door came a loud SLAM as it was flung open.  
"SHAN'DO!"  
Veyelline's voice bellowed through the echoing foyer. She ran frantically around the first floor looking for him until she finally skidded to a stop in the doorway of the den where he resided."  
"Shan'do... I... I need to show you something!" she panted.

His face twisted into a large inquisitive smile. It had been some time since she was so excited to show him something.  
"Is that so my pupil? Very well, you have my full attention."  
She has way more than his full attention. the past few months had been full of the best of times, as well as the most awkward of feelings, and her excitement always brought forth the most confusing feelings, which he loved.  
_What an adorable girl._ He sat wide-eyed with anticipation.

She beckoned him over to a private side room. She didn't want Maelha to see this just in case she was around.  
Since growing closer to the Dreamweavers she had started to wear robes more often than she used to and had actually become pretty nimble in them. Her robe was very convenient for this occasion.  
She drew the skirt of the robe up to just above her knees. She closed her eyes and suddenly large patches of black and violet feathers began to sprout from them until her legs were nearly covered.  
Just as soon as they had sprouted, they began to retract back in. She was holding her breath the entire time so she gasped for air once they were gone.  
She looked at him absolutely beaming.

Agholor's smile turned into a surprised blush, to a gaping jaw.  
_She.. learned her flying form? So soon? Impossible_ he watched the transformation in awe, never having seen such an early fledgling transformation take place in front of him.

Once she had calmed down a bit she dropped the skirt and began to explain -  
"As I was riding over today I started to imagine what it would be like if I myself were to fly. I thought... what if I were a bird? So I immediately went to talk to Kyra, of course, thinking she would have some wisdom for me, as I've seen her do it before a couple of times..."  
She sat down on the leather couch with impeccable posture and continued to tell the story in detail for a solid 10 minutes.  
"... and the next thing I knew there were FEATHERS! I really think I can do it... I just need to keep focusing and practicing! I was hoping you might have some tips for me for getting my mind in the right place?"

"VEYELLINE! I am so PROUD of you!" Agholor grinned deviously from ear to ear.  
_What fortuitous circumstance...  
_"Veyelline, it just so happens I have spent the day working on a method to help focus the mind. I have a few new techniques I have finished developing just today. I call them Arcane Regression, Frost Focus, and Mind Ignition." He explained.

Vey glowed with enthusiasm at his words. "Elune's grace... What do they entail? I'll try them all if you think they can help me to complete this transformation! But also just so you can have someone to test them on... It helps us both!"

"Okay then!" He lead her out to the terrace, open to the wind and sky. "Sit nice and straight, and think closely on your form, on your body. Think of what it would feel like, and I will help you focus it." He stood up in front of her and placed his fingers softly on her scalp.

Despite all this time now that she had been with him, Agholor's touch still sent her heart a-flutter every time. She focused on that fluttering... like the wings of a baby bird, trying to take to the air for the first time. Her soft feathers growing stronger, into large and wide ones that caught the air with ease and propelled her upward. She felt the wind taking hold of her and hurtling her into the clouds, dew from them coating her sharp-beaked face.

His eyes tracked her while she soared around. The smile on his face was accompanied by a strong sense of pride.  
"She reminds me of me when I was young.. " He said softly to himself.  
With an excited laugh he whistled to call his hippogryph, he leaped off the balcony and caught it by its neck as it whisked him up and away to fly with Veyelline.

She hadn't even realized she had done it.. she thought she was still merely daydreaming! Agholor's technique had worked wonders.  
She flew down across a fountain in the square nearby to see her reflection in the water - She had beautiful violet feathers with pink and white tips. Her beak and talons were sharp and deadly. Her eyesight was unbelievably sharp as well - she could see details in things she had never noticed before... she looked behind to see Agholor and his griffin flying up close. His hair and skin reflecting the sunset in gorgeous shades of cyan and indigo... he truly was the most beautiful being she had ever seen.

He looked back at the feathered druid and gave her a confident wink. he then leaned back and threw his arms at his side, trying to feel how Veyelline was, the wind flowing through his hair.

If she could have smiled with her beak she would have. She doubled back and headed towards the balcony to test out her new landing gear. _... ooohhhh nOOOH!_ She realized a little too late that she was going towards the balcony way too fast, and crashed into the side of the building! Feathers exploded everywhere.

Agholor turned back and saw the puff of feathers. He gasped and raced to see if she was okay. "VEYELLINE! Are you all right?!"

Out of the pile of down, Vey's night elf body rose up with a palm pressed to her forehead. "Uughghhh... That's gonna take some practice..." she groaned.  
She removed her palm to see no blood and was relieved. She came out of the crash with just a very hard knock to the skull. She didn't feel concussive but she made a note to put herself through some restoration therapy that night before bed.  
She turned to look at Agholor and smiled.  
"You did it! WE did it... haha!"

His worry quickly dissipated into relief. "Yes we did! But you need to be more careful! If something happened to you I'd-"  
He caught himself, and cleared his throat.  
"Either way. I am very proud of you. and you should be proud of yourself! A celebration is in order I believe! Would you not agree?"

She smiled wide and nodded happily. "Yes! it's been a long time since we went out... why don't we go somewhere special? I made a little extra gold today helping to clear up an infestation of squirrels."  
Thinking back to that situation made her laugh to herself... that worgen was really keen on 'cracking the nuts.'

Agholor not knowing the context blushed and agreed. "I-I may have the perfect place here in Dalaran. The Legerdemain Lounge, the perfect place for good food and strong drink. How does that sound my dear? Save your gold, the food and drink is all on me!" It had been a long time since they sat down and celebrated something, and she has come so far. He decided he would cater to her every need and keep his wits about him.

"That sounds perfect," she said, holding out her hand to him so he could help her up out of the feathers.  
"Help me up and I'll go and get something special to wear from the gallery!"  
She knew this would require speaking to Maelha but she honestly did not care. She felt like she could do anything right now.

He grabbed her hands tightly and pulled her up gently. "I can't wait to see what you choose!" He mused and lead her in front of him to the door. "I will be waiting in the foyer for you!" His heart fluttered. She had done so much for him and it was finally time for him to return the favor. It excited him to his core.

She promptly scurried into the gallery in excitement. She really wanted to wear something nice this time... something she had never tried before. She headed straight for the most expensive rack against the far wall, walking directly past Maelha on the way. She ignored her, as was custom... but Maelha was watching Veyelline like a hawk.

As Vey was shuffling through the various opulent dresses, she suddenly heard Maelha's voice from directly behind her. "I saw what you did earlier."

Vey froze and her face went pale. She turned with her back to the wall to find Maelha standing with her hands on her hips giving her the most bitter glare she had ever seen. "W... wha-"

"DON'T play stupid with me. You're a dimwit but at least you understand Common. I saw you take Master Agholor into that closet to show him your dirty backside. You make me SICK."

Veyelline was rendered speechless, her jaw hanging open in shock. _But I was so careful..._

Maelha wasn't done yet.  
"You are _so stupid_ that you think I don't sense what's happening here. You think I don't know you two have been bathing together, SLEEPING in that bathroom together? You think I don't notice the way you look at him at dinner? _YOU'RE A WITCH_ and you've got him under some savage, freaky, druidy, night-elfy spell because you want to eat his heart or something. Well guess what?? I will NOT let you wear my designs, and I will NOT let you continue to manipulate him in this way. You _disgust_ me."  
She spit on Veyelline's face grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her away from the rack.

After all this time knowing that Maelha hated her, she shouldn't have been surprised to hear these words... but something snapped in Veyelline when the spit hit her face and the Draenei's words really sunk in. With a shaky voice, she turned back to face Maelha with clenched fists and eyes like fire.

"You... you know _nothing._ The only poisonous witch here is YOU!"

Her blind fury took hold and she began to grow. She was a whole foot taller and dark black feathers sprouted from her skin. Her hands turned into wings but with sharp taloned fingers. Her face contorted until it was wide and tick with a huge yellow beak. Her body grew wide and muscular. White and blue light shone from her body - Moonfire. She had transformed into a massive Owlbeast... and she was prepared to kill Maelha on the spot.

"Veyelline!" Agholor called out. "Hurry! we want to get a good table! I'll even start us with Elven wine FIRST! But ONLY if you hurry up." His loud voice was followed by a laugh just as loud. The amount Agholor amused himself may had been unhealthy, but as with most things, he didn't mind.

 _That voice... I adore that voice... he said my name!_  
Veyelline was holding a horrified Maelha up by the throat in one clawed hand, the other channeling destructive solar energy poised to burn the Draenei alive. If Agholor's voice hadn't echoed around in her skull, jarring her back into reality, the girl surely would be dead.  
She promptly released Maelha who slumped to the floor, gasping for breath, and pushed herself away in fear. Veyelline slowly shrunk back into her normal self, with tears streaming down her face in shame. Since this transformation was completely unexpected the robe she was wearing was completely ruined in tatters still hanging from her.

"I... I... " she looke down at herself and then back at the shaking hyperventilating Maelha and couldn't find the words to say. _I am a monster... maybe she's right... completely right about me... I don't even know myself. I can't control my own power._

Without another word, she grabbed the first dress she could find off the discount rack instead of the expensive one, and turned tail to sprint up to her room. The tears wouldn't stop and she didn't know what to do... she was filled with fear that Agholor would find out what happened and cast her away forever. She feared even further that she actually deserved to be cast away forever.

A few minutes more had passed and he was getting worried, strangely. He jogged upstairs and up to her room. "Veyelline.. is everything okay?" His voice was sincere and worried, and he decided to knock a few times. "Can I come in?"

Vey sat on a soft rug in the corner of her room surrounded by various plants she had brought home from her travels. She was channeling their energy into herself to try to calm herself down. It was somewhat working, but the image of Maelha's terrified face was still burned into her mind's eye.  
She had already removed the tattered leather robe and buried it deep under her bed so she couldn't see it anymore. The cheap dress she'd retrieved didn't quite fit right as she grabbed it so hastily... it was a little too big, the neckline hanging off the sides of her shoulders and the sleeves covering her hands.  
She hesitated for a moment before calling back out to Agholor, "... come in."

Agholor walked in and noticed her face, full of shock and terror. "Ve-Vey are you okay?" He came up to her and surveyed the state of her dress.  
_Why would she choose this dress?_  
"Is something wrong?"  
Things didn't add up, and Agholor's inquisitive nature began stringing together the clues."You know you can tell me anything my friend." It may have been the first time he referred to her as his friend and not his student since she became his protege.

Veyelline sighed deeply and thought hard about what she should say. She was far too afraid of his response to tell him outright what happened, so she decided to try to build up to it slowly to convince herself it would be okay.  
"Maelha doesn't like me very much... she thinks I'm hurting you. She wouldn't let me take a dress from her rack..." saying Maelha's name created a knot in her throat and she struggled to hold back even more tears.

Agholor's brow furrowed. He was not oblivious to their rivalry and has been kept quite unhappy by their bickering. Maelha was usually on the supply side of the bullying.  
"I will not stand for my pupils arguing in such a manner. As well as my friends to be dressed in bargain bin clothes!" He walked over to a wardrobe and flicked his wrist, opening a drawer. "Here my dear, I have been waiting to give you this dress awhile ago. I'm not sure it will fit and may be a bit small, but I hope you like it."  
It was a thin leather dress, dyed royal purple, the left side had feathers lining the seams, the chest was low and the collar was lined with a layer of smaller black feathers.  
"How is this?"

Her face lightened up at the sight of the dress. It looked like it would suit her wonderfully, and what a sweet gesture! She also felt warm inside in that moment from him calling her "dear."  
However... the sight of the feathers on the dress caused the first image in her mind of herself wearing it to turn into disaster. She imagined again mutating into that horrible owlbeast and ripping it to shreds in the process. Her eyes again filled with tears and she looked away in shame. _I don't deserve this... I don't deserve him.  
_She took a shaky breath in before speaking, "D-do you ever.. f-feel like... Like you're a stranger in your own skin? Like you're just a soul floating in a vessel you can't control...?"

"Every day of my life."  
He said it calmly, and without missing a beat.  
"Every day of my life is a constant conversation with a worse version of myself, manifest as a parasite inside my own mind." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Complete control of ones emotions is impossible, even for me. But If I slip, even just for one minute, I could lose control. I could even end up hurting the ones I love."  
He looked at her and smiled at her calmly.  
"I keep control for you and Maelha, to help teach you what I know, and to avoid the potential of harming either of you."

These words went deep into Veyelline's heart. Looking into his face as he spoke them, the face she always wanted to see smiling and never to frown, affected her so much that the flood gates broke and she began to weep into her sleeved hands.  
It felt good to cry. To really cry. It had been far too long since she had, and she needed to.  
_I still have so much to learn..._

He moved towards her and wrapped her up in a hug. "There there, let it out." He let her cry for awhile into his chest until it slowed down. "Now first thing is first. I think we need to go have a word with Maelha and patch things up. Second, It's still celebration time!"  
"I'll be with you every step of the way. Okay?"

Veyelline wiped down her face with the sleeves one last time and sniffled with a nod. Being held by him was even more powerful healing for her than even her restoration techniques.  
"Yes, Shan'do... and... thank you. You are so wise and Elune has blessed me with you for a teacher. I want to earn that blessing."  
She stood as confidently as she could and rolled up the soaked sleeves of the dress.  
"... and I owe Maelha an apology."

He raised an eyebrow to the final comment and led her to Maelha.  
_Did Veyelline finally stand up for herself? How deliciously surprising!_  
They found Maelha in the lounge, curled up on the couch crying.  
"Maelha, I am here to mediate. I want you and Veyelline to end this bickering. You are both very precious to me, and it hurts me that you cannot get along." He came over to Maelha and placed a hand on her shoulder.  
"I believe in you," He looked over at Veyelline, "And you.. Well then?"

Maelha jumped at his touch with a small squeak and sat up. When she noticed Veyelline her already frazzled appearance seemed to frazzle even further. Her eyes bugged out of her head and she slammed her back against the far end of the couch, gripping the armrest with veins popping from tension. "G-get that THING away from me!!!" she said, breathing heavily.

Vey looked at her feet and twisted her fingers together. _She's right to feel that way..._  
"Maelha... The things you said to me were very hurtful. But that doesn't excuse my behavior. While I didn't know I was... capable... of something like that... I should have realized what was happening before it took hold of me. I'm sorry... I understand if you won't forgive me."  
She bowed her head and prayed to Elune that this would all just blow over somehow.

Agholor gave a small clap to her apology. "Maelha I am not sure what happened, and I do not want to know. But whatever did happen, Veyelline is not a monster. Monsters do not apologize." His face became serious.  
"And trust me when I say this, a monster would not falter, It would not hesitate, and spare no expense."  
He shook his head from trailing to the voices. "So what do you say Maelha?"

Maelha was still very tense but her face seemed to soften a bit as she pondered Veyelline's apology. She looked at Agholor, at the floor, at the ceiling, back at Agholor, then back at Veyelline.  
"I... I suppose I have no choice. It was Master Agholor's will to bring you here, and take you in just as he took me in. I must trust his judgement."  
She paused for a moment, readjusting to sit more comfortably. She sighed and looked at her hooved feet.  
" _Kurenai._ I forgive you in the name of the Light."

Veyelline looked at Maelha and smiled. She had never smiled at her before now. Not only had she forgiven her but she even went so far as to reference the Light in doing so. That meant a lot to Veyelline.

But perhaps her smile was too hasty.

"But in all seriousness, Master Agholor. You must stop bathing and sleeping with Veyelline. It is ... unprofessional at best. I've kept it a secret from my parents thus far but they would not be happy to know I am working for a Master who would behave so intimately with his students."

Agholor's face flushed. He was instantly mortified, searching the reaches of his mind for an answer. He began to sweat bullets, scurrying to find an answer. In the end he was honest.  
"Maehla.. at first it was me helping a confused and alone person. Now It is me helping a friend." He turned and looked back at her with a devious smile, "Also, do not think I haven't noticed you peeping in on my own room."

Maelha's blue-green skin darkened deeply and her mouth dropped open. She stood without a word, covered her face and clopped away to her room to hide her blatant embarrassment.

Veyelline was also rendered speechless. She looked at Agholor with wide eyes and a half smirk, blushing brightly as well. She too was mortified by Maelha's words but Agholor's comeback almost brought her to laughter.  
"... Let's go drink." she finally managed to say with a turn on her heels towards the door.

Agholor looked back at Veyelline and began to blush. "O-oh, sure yea lets go!"

\-----

They walked into the Tavern, and Agholor found them a booth seat so they could have plenty of space. The waitress walked up to the table and asked for their drink order.  
"Ah YES! A bottle of Elvish wine, best vintage please." He looked at Vey with a small sense of wonder.  
_She has come so far..._  
"So! Veyelline! This is your night, what do YOU want to talk about?"  
He looked into his glass solemnly, "I feel since you have began training with the Druids, I haven't had a heart to heart with you. I haven't been able to know how you have felt since joining me here."

Veyelline took hold of the wine glass with perfect form and took a calculated sip. Since coming to live with Agholor she had learned so much about sophisticated living, nobody would have known just a year past she was living like a savage outdoors.  
"Oh Shan'do... It has been so marvelous. The druids in Val'sharah are very different from the ones in the Moonglade and in Teldrassil. They are much closer to Cenarius and the Emerald Dream. I've learned more from them than I ever could have imagined," she said, swirling her wine before taking another sip. "If it weren't for you I never would have come here. I'd still be wandering aimlessly about the wilds of the Eastern Kingdoms hoping for a sign... Or to pick up his scent... "  
Veyelline hadn't spoken as much about him in quite some time but her drive to find her father was still just as strong as ever. Every passing day she worried more for him and wondered when the next clue to his whereabouts would be made clear to her.  
"What I'm trying to say is... I could not be more grateful."

Agholor blushed and giggled quietly, which he raised a hand up to stifle. She could get him to do this easily nowadays, and he found himself thinking about her more often then not. "And my my, how you've grown in this year. Accustomed to the high society and the ways of the world! But tonight Vey dear, is YOUR night. Loosen up, it's just us, and this boisterous tavern." He smiled big and motioned for the waitress to come back over so he could order some appetizers. "I am absolutely _famished_ !"  
After ordering some food he looked back to Veyelline. "And to be honest. My life has improved in more ways than I can quantify by you simply being near me."  
_Shit Agholor, reel it in  
_He cursed himself for revealing his hand too readily.

Veyelline sipped more wine to hide her rosy face with her glass. _Does he really feel that way?_  
"Really... I can't imagine how... Aside maybe my cooking I haven't done much but burden you.."  
She continued to partially hide behind her glass, swirling it gently on the table.

"Nonsense! With the cooking and cleaning, the countless adventures, a stunning body type perfect for modeling. And to top it off, someone I can truly call a friend." He looked down at his glass and took a small sip of it slowly. "After the void addling I didn't have much less in the way of friends. Well, friends who didn't stay my friends because the feared me anyhow. And from what I can see you were able to look past it."  
His eyes gleamed in the candle light coming from the edge of the table. "I truly am lucky to have you."

Veyelline smiled wide and giggled in happiness at his words. "As always, you are too kind Shan'do... You are the first and really only friend I've ever had, aside my father." she finished her glass and beckoned for another.  
For a few minutes she sat in silence, a burning question that she'd held onto for a long time finally surfacing at a time where wine had her guard down. Additionally, somehow getting through the events with Maelha earlier had her feeling like she had nothing more to lose.  
"... Why don't you ever talk about your past? I've been living with you for a long time now.. I tell you countless stories from my childhood and things father and I did together. You never talk at length about your days before the void. Why?"

Agholor sighed, and then chuckled. "My past is a difficult subject to touch on." He stared into the candel light.  
_Is this okay.._  
He thought for awhile, about giving her his all.  
"Very well Veyelline. As my closest friend, I will tell you my history."

"You see I have been around for a long time, I've watched wars happen and conflicts arise, wretched beasts rise to power and how far they fall in the end. I am Aghor Starbreaker and 138 years ago, I was left on Krassus landing in a basket covered in blankets. Just a baby, alone in this world from the start of it all."  
He took a small sip of wine.  
"I was taken to the orphanage here, which also happened to be the mages school. It was there where all I came to know in the world was books. I filled my hours and days and minutes with knowledge. I would learn and practice, in an effort to make my teachers proud of me. I quickly became a favorite, and quite popular around Dalaran. That's when trouble started. Countless men and women tried to claim they we're my real parents, and that they wanted to reclaim me. It made me sick to my core. I couldn't separate credible sources from the fake one's. Angry, I asked if I could continue studying in private, and they agreed. That's when I acquired my parlor, and also my darkest times. In my solitude I began increasing lonely and increasingly bored. My curious mind couldn't take the stagnation, so I chased sensations of the flesh. My days were filled with gambling, sex and debaucherie, and purposely putting myself in harm's way. I needed a thrill, my mind would be full to bursting with new intellect and my body lacking in stimulation. This went on for a very... Very long time.." he paused, something inside him wavered and a few whispers entered his mind.

Veyelline listened intently. As she took his words in, her heart ached for him. She imagined him as a young elf of fair skin and green eyes, so bright and eager to learn, and she imagined the people who would try to take advantage of such brightness... it made her stomach churn.  
Her reaction to the next part of his story was at first appalled, but she quickly shook off that feeling. After what he had been through she could understand why he reacted that way. She couldn't relate at all but she could not fault him for it, never having parents to guide him, and never having friends to encourage him. She wondered just how many others he had lay with...

"After a while of self exploration and learning, I made a few friends, and a few enemies. And at the end of it all, I turned to a new source of magics. Umbric, an outcast blood elf, had been delving into Void techniques. I had heard he and his followers had even become one with it. Unsure of the potentials, but curious of the prospects, I was inclined to learn what I could. I came, I saw, and decided after some time to conquer my feelings and become one with it. I learned of what the void had to offer. Power, answers, prophecy, all of it could be mine, and was. My mind opened, swollen with the endings and beginnings of the universe. Through my training I learned no to believe anything I saw, but I felt that hidden in the lies of the void, there were sparks of truth." He laughed. "it may have been a bit of a mistake though. My choices drew away my so called friends, fearful of my new allegiances and power. I had Umbric's group, but their fanatical practices were tiresome. Alleria watched over me but did as a leader and voice of reason."  
He smiled gently and wistfully. "And then you came along, and I gained my first true friend." He snapped himself out of his inward spiral. "Well that's the short version anyway. I hope that was good enough!" He chuckled, as he welcomed the appetizers to the table.

Veyelline smiled tenderly at Agholor, her eyes filled with compassion. However, her smile quickly faded into a blank sadness.  
"I'm sorry I made you tell me that story... " she said, looking down into her wine glass, "You must not like thinking about your past and I should have accepted that you have left it behind."  
She finished her glass and reached for the food in front of her, suddenly overcome with hunger and wanting to fill her mouth to stop herself from asking any more hurtful questions.

"Oh please, Veyelline. We have known each other too long now. My life hurts, but what I make of it now is what matters. I would prefer that at least someone knows my legacy, who better than my protege!" His eyes looked around the table lustfully, there were chicken legs, lamb shakes, elven breads, and more, all for the taking. He couldn't decide what to go for.  
He paused and looked at Veyelline with a big smile. "From now on, never be afraid to ask me anything, and for the rest of the night, be merry!" He began to form himself a plate.

"I will try, Shan'do" she said, trying her best to shake the bad feelings. The events of earlier had her far more shaken than she thought, despite coming it all having come to a resolution.  
She poured some more wine for herself hoping it would help lift some of her sorrows away.  
"What would _you_ like to talk about? I'm afraid I'm short of topics of late as I've been working so hard in Val'sharah."

He pondered what he could talk to her about. He was very good at talking about himself, but didn't want to be rude. He was actually quite the fledgling conversationalist. "I would like to know about YOU! I know of your exploits with your father, but what about Veyelline? What does Veyelline do for FUN!" He gestured wildly. "We work so hard I think we forget that life is not all about knowledge and goals. I often forget this."

"Hmmmmm... What does Veyelline do for fun..." she repeated the question to herself out loud with a finger on her cheek. The wine was beginning to work wonders and her head was getting fuzzy.  
"I like... Cooking for you. I like to try on the new outfits you make for me... I like when you come into my room so I can show you my new plants! I like... Hmmmh"

Agholor blushed lightly and smiled "Oh yea? Those do sound fun!" He noticed her sobriety faltering and decided to take advantage of it. "What about your favorite adventure? We have been on so many. I'd probably say either when we went spelunking in Stormheim, or our very first treasure hunt in the hinterlands! What about you?"

She tapped her fingers rhythmically on the table and swirled what little was left of her wine.  
"Favorite.. Ad... Ven.. Ture. Let me thhHh OH I know!" she finished her wine and set the glass to the side as she raved, "The time we went into the Underbelly and saw the giant rats! Diving into that well... I thought you were INSANE and we were GOING TO DIE but suddenly UNDERGROUND CITY! It blew my mind. That was when I stopped believing you would ever cry wolf about anything."  
At her last point she looked at him with a sly grin. She was referencing something and hoped he caught it...

"Listen Veyelline, I really though that those dragons would be super friendly... Apparently they just didn't like my fashion statement, their loss." He leaned back with a poutey face "They ruined one of my best outfits.."

Vey started to laugh in a high bubbly cackle and put her face in both of her hands, elbows on the table. "You have more clothes than anyone I've ever known!"

"Well that may be true! But it was so nice!" He noticed her demeanor and giggled.  
_Finally, she gets to relax  
_"How are you feeling my dear? Enjoying yourself?"

Just as quickly as she had brightened up, she started to frown again. Her head was buzzing and her thoughts were scattered. It was making her mood swing.  
"Agholor... Whenever I stop training... I feel like I'm wasting time. I know you said I can't... Can't... Go find him yet but I just.. I STILL worry about _HIC!_.. Him, every waking moment."

"I do too, and I've promised to get you to him Vey. I will be upfront with you, we are very close, and you have come so far. A few more weeks and it will be time to begin our search." He looked into her eyes. "You need to trust me, even when I say it's time to relax."

When his eyes met with hers, she stared deeply into them... His icy blue eyes which seemed so cold and empty on the surface but had so much more behind them.  
Veyelline felt a feeling she had never felt before in this moment. It was like a feeling of _longing_ but deeper... Almost a feeling of _needing_. But why did looking at Agholor make her feel so strongly?  
All she could do was look at him. She forgot where she was and what she was saying. The room melted around her and it was only the two of them at the table, floating in the vast empty universe.

 _Oh boy, maybe she drank too much?  
_"V-veyelline?" He snapped his fingers lightly in her peripherals "Everything okay my dear?"

She blinked twice and was pulled back to reality. The aching _needy_ feeling lingered in her chest though and swelled when she heard his voice.  
"Yy..es yes! Yes.. Sorry Agholss.. Ssshhan'do. I do trust you... I trust you more than anyone. You and I will go together to find my father. We WILL find him.. Because we will go when the time is right."

"Yes we will my pupil!" He patted her head. "I do hope I've been a good Shando. I feel you have progressed so much! Now what were we talking about?" He tapped his cheek. "Oh yes! Thing Veyelline enjoys!" He scratched his chin and thought of something devious. "So Veyelline. You have been in Dalaran for a year. Any cute boys catch your eye?" He smiled slyly at his cunning ploy.  
_"Let's see what I can potentially find out!_

This question confused Veyelline thoroughly. The confusion was apparent on her face as she leaned far back in her chair with a wide eyed of inquisitive look and a tilted head.  
"I... Don't!!! ... undersssszdand. If you mean the children they're indeeeeed adorable but none in particular have... Er... Caught... my.. eye??? per se."  
She legitimately had no idea what "cute boys" meant in this context, taking it quite literally in her tipsy state.

"Hah! Nono Veyelline, I mean.. Attractive Males! That you would like to.. um _court_."  
_She still has those moments... It's Soooo... Adorable_

"O-OUUHH!" she exclaimed loudly, then covering her mouth in surprise.  
"Courting??? A male? ME? I simply... I zzzjjjust... Oh I don't have time for that... But I don't think any would want me... Perhaps one of the other night elves I've met in Val'Sharah but... They, like me, are m-mmmarried to training." she said all of her thoughts out loud.  
Under normal circumstances she would not have uttered half of these details.

"Who wouldn't want you Veyelline! You are smart, talented, and not to mention beautiful, I wou-" he cleared his throat. "A-any guy would be LUCKY to have you. You could have literally any male you wanted, I'm sure of it!"  
_So nothing about me huh? Figured as much, don't rush it Agholor! Or maybe.. am I going to slow?  
_"Your time will come soon enough my dear friend."

Vey's face blushed deep and she twisted her hair in her hands bashfully.  
"Y-you are too kind Shan'do... I will admit I have n-not put mmmuch thought into such things... Father told me that love is a risky thing, that feels like pain and pleasure at the same time... And th-that it can c... C... Cloud the mind."  
Veyelline didn't really know what romance felt like. Growing up with only her father, the only observations she had of romantic love were strangers in passing. She thought it probably felt similar to the love she felt for her father but she simply did not know how to interpret her own emotions that way.  
She looked at Agholor, his face blurry and spinning from her drunken gaze, but his face nonetheless. Again she felt the fluttering in her heart, and the deep longing in her stomach that she didn't understand.  
_Is... Could this be...?  
_"Agholor...?" she said his name and it tasted sweet on her tongue... Suddenly she wanted to taste him. To feel him. Many times her flesh had called for his body but she never thought of it as a calling for _him_ until now.

He looked at the now very drunk elf with a smile. "Yes Veyelline? What is it?"  
_It may be time to head home soon._

His smile was like a punch in her gut. His voice was like an electric shock to her chest.  
She looked at him with her mouth hanging open but no words could come out.  
_I want you. I need you. I never want to leave your side. Please never leave me._  
The thoughts rattled in her dizzy head. She had drank another glass of wine without realizing it.. Or was it two glasses?  
_... Clouds the mind.  
_Veyelline collapsed in her chair.

"Oh my!" He chuckled and motioned for the waitress to bring them the check. "Probably for the best." He said softly under his breath.  
_If she would have said something about someone else your little heart couldn't take it, eh Agholor?_  
He paid the check and stood up to try and rouse the druid.  
"Veyellllliiiinnneeee, can you stand up for Shando? You can use him to walllllkk, we are leavvvvinggggg." He whispered.

Vey's eyes fluttered open. Everything around her was spinning, and sounds were muffled and echoing in her ears. Her entire body felt numb.  
All she could manage was a nod and an outstretched arm.

Agholor helped lift up the young night elf, her stature becoming more apparent while she was leaning heavily on him, as she did he noticed finally that she had not had time to change into the dress he had made for her. They were in quite the hurry so he understood. But the dress fit very... very loosely on her chest, and in her disheveled state.  
_Just look forward Agholor  
_

They stumbled into the parlor's front door after midnight. "Veyelline my dear would you like me to take you to your room?"  
She rolled her head around to look at him with a smile, "Pliss."

In that moment, Agholor lost all control of his emotions and began to blush pink.  
_She-she is so- adorableeeee....._  
He slowly lifted her into his arms and began to carry her princess style all the way up into her room. Once there he let her down so she could walk. "There you are..."  
_I really shouldn't leave her alone.. I don't think I've ever seen her quite this far gone_  
"Veyelline, I have had a novel idea! Why do I stay here for awhile. To take care of you until you fall asleep! Would you like that?"

All the way up the stairs she gripped his neck tightly with both arms. She felt so very good but so very gone. She did know for sure though that right now the idea of being apart from Agholor was absolutely dreadful.  
"Stay!" she said, stumbling into her room.

"Oh! Alrighty then! I will stay here with you." He smiled at her warmly and sat down on her bed, he snapped his fingers and conjured up a pitchur of water. "Drink this my lo- m..my V-veyelline."  
_Get it together Agholor, she may be drunk but no time to let your guard down!_

\----- SKIP -----


	6. The Void

The events of that fateful day left both Veyelline and Agholor at odds with themselves and with each other. At first things were normal, but slowly they grew distant. They stopped bathing together entirely, mostly for Maelha's sake, but also because of awkwardness.

Veyelline went back to her daily studies in Val'sharah, but some nights she would not even come back. She was growing closer and closer with the Dreamweavers and some had offered her beds of their own in which she could commune with the Emerald Dream overnight. Agholor spent most of his time in his study... neither Vey nor Maelha saw him outside of occasional appearances at dinner or to speak with customers of the tailoring shop. Days turned into months, and still they barely spoke with one another. The friendship they once had felt like it was all but gone... and both of them were suffering.

There was still one problem Veyelline had not been able to solve on her own, and she knew she would not be able to do it without Agholor's help. She was afraid to disturb him, as he seemed like he did not want to speak with her... but every day she missed him more and more. She hoped he would entertain her request, and be willing to be her teacher once more.

\----- 

Agholor, was tired. Life was difficult. Company was.. distressing. He sat at his loom and table day in and day out, creating and destroying works, sleeping long hours and attempting to read books he has already read a thousand times. His hair was ratty, and his face sunken. He was, empty.  
He sat now in his lounge chair, eyes plastered to the wall. Waiting for nothing. 

Veyelline approached the door to Agholor's room nervously. It was now or never. Even if he didn't want to see her...  
She still wasn't sure how or why this falling out had even happened. Was it just because they'd both been so busy? Or had the events of that drunken night been more impactful than she realized? The conclusion she made at the end of it was ultimately what she thought to be a good one, but Agholor did not seem to respond positively at all. She respected his space and did not question his actions... but she had lost track of time.  
She found herself tossing and turning in her dreams at night, often spiraling into nightmares - Especially the nights she spent sleeping in the homes of others or in the wilds. She missed him terribly. She longed for his company so much it felt like there was an emptiness in her chest. At times it felt almost like when she lost her father, but worse in a way because it seems as though the separation were by choice rather than circumstance.  
Today, she decided to act on her longing. She hoped more than anything that things could go back to the way they used to be.

_knock knock knock_

The door swung open on its own, there was no answer. 

Vey peered into the dark room anxiously. It was almost pitch black inside, which was not what she was expecting at all. His room used to always be fairly bright even at night time since he didn't sleep much.  
She didn't want to intrude, so she called out to him.  
"... Agholor?" 

"Vey-veyelline?" He stood up to greet her, his hair long over his face, his cloths dirty. "You.. You came to visit m-me? What a surprise!" His tone was quiet yet sincere. As was his smile, though it was tired and labored 

When he stepped out of the blackness and into her view, Veyelline was appalled at how filthy he looked. He must have not bathed in weeks... She crinkled her nose at the smell of the room as she took a step inside. It was very stuffy as well.  
"Yes, my friend... I... I am sorry if I am interrupting you..."  
But she could tell by how quickly he responded that he was not busy with anything.

He stood up, and bumped into his table. "N-no, n- never.. What? what is that?" He looked over his shoulder behind him. "O-oh? Right.. right.." He looked back to Veyelline, as if she was invisible. "What- what do you require of me Veyelline, I am a-at your disposal."   
He bowed weakly. 

Vey felt sick to her stomach watching him. He looked like a shadow of his former self. He looked thinner, older, and sickly.  
_... How long has he been like this... how have I not noticed?!_  
"I... I was... going to ask if you could...uhhm.. help me with a problem I've been having. R-remember back when you used the uhm... Ice technique on my mind to help me transform into a bird?"  
She hesitantly moved a little closer to him. She hoped getting closer would draw out his sweet smile that she missed so very much... Even in the state he was in right now she longed for that smile. 

"O-oh? I have a feint memory of this yes." He squinted in remembering, his face flickered in the candle light. "Would you like me to do it again?"   
"H-how have you been Veyelline?"   
"What do you need it for Veyelline?" 

She stopped moving closer because she was thoroughly disturbed by the way he was behaving. It didn't seem right... it wasn't the Agholor she remembered at all, not by a long-shot. She grew clammy with anxiety. This combined with the humidity in the room was making beads or sweat form on her forehead.  
"... I uh... I..."  
She was beginning to regret coming into the room, which made her upset with herself.  
  
_NO Veyelline... You needed to do this._  
You should have done it long... Long ago.  
_He is NOT okay._  
_I should have checked on him sooner..._  
_I never should have worried so much about bothering him._  
_Why did he shut himself away from me?_  
_I am... I am a terrible friend..._  
_I must fix this!_  
  
She looked into his sunken eyes passionately... The eyes she had looked into countless times before and saw them looking back with admiration and excitement... But now seemed like empty glowing blue orbs of pure ice. She swallowed her fear, drew courage from her heart, and stepped closer to him once more.  
"Agholor... what happened to you? Why have you locked yourself away? Did... did I do something wrong? I'm sorry I got so busy with my training... I... I thought you were busy too..."

"B-busy?" Agholor scratched his chin. "No-no I, I was untrustworthy.. b-bad friend." His face sank. "B-b-best If I stay, stay out of the way."   
  
`You fool`  
`Good riddance`  
`KILL YOURSELF`  
`It's what you deserve`  
`Kill her now`  
`Fuck her, you love her don't you`  
`RUN AWAY`  
`Surrender Yourself`  
  
Agholor gently swatted at the air around his head.

Vey looked frantically around to try to see what he was swatting at, but of course saw nothing.  
_... Oh no.. The void?_  
She looked back at him full of worry and took yet another careful step closer.  
"Nonsense... You were never untrustworthy or a bad friend... Even from the first day we met... Something was beckoning me towards you. Something I didn't understand compelled me to trust you. It was Elune's will. I needed you then... And I still need you now... And you need me too."  
She held out her hand to him.  
"Come out of this room please my friend... Come to the parlor, or the balcony. Or come to my room... I can soothe you with my restoration."  
She smiled at him eagerly, hoping with all her heart that he would take her hand.

A pounding began inside of Agholor. A familiar pounding. It was agonizing and calming at the same time. "I-I uh-uhhh sur-" His hand very cautiously found it's way to hers. The feel of her skin started a swarm of what seemed to be locusts inside every fiber of his being, it was the most wonderful feeling in the world. He allowed her, reluctantly to lead him. "O-ohkay."

She smiled wide and gripped his hand tightly. It was much warmer than usual. As a frost mage his body heat should have been much lower... This worried Vey even more. But she was just so happy to feel him again she focused on that happiness above all else.  
She led him into the hallway and shut the study door behind her.  
"Where would you like to go, then?" she inquired, still holding onto his hand tenderly. 

He thought for a moment. "Wha- what?... Okay" he looked at Very calmly. "We- I.. I would like to go to Val'Sharah... I-Is that okay?"

This was the most unexpected thing yet. She went stiff and looked at him with a raised eyebrow and a worried frown.  
_... W-why there?_  
She didn't understand, but in this moment she just wanted more than anything to make him feel better.  
_Maybe he just wants to be surrounded by the clean, fresh air... And lush life... Yes this must be it.. Or he wants to see where I work! It has been quite some time._  
She nodded, "Okay then. That's exactly where we will go. I'll call your griffin for you..."

"Oh no need," he snapped his fingers and produced an arcane orb, he held her hand tight and threw it at the ground. In that next instant, they found themselves in the sunlit forests of Val'Sharah. He took a loud deep breath in and exhaled it just the same.  
"AHHHH wonderful air hmm? Just glorious." He fell back onto his rear.

Vey squeaked in surprise and flopped over into the moss. She knew he was powerful but never had he done something like this before. Her heart was racing as she lifted herself back up to look at him.  
She was relieved that he seemed to be acting a little more like his old self already.  
She surveyed their surroundings and was able to pinpoint their exact location on her mental map of the area.  
_... So close to Shaldrassil. Interesting._  
She shook the thought from her mind and got back to the task at hand. She sat directly across from Agholor with her arms around her knees.  
"So.. Let's talk. Tell me what you've been doing the past few weeks.. I have some stories for you as well."

"O-oh well, n-not much. I started some new clothes I think you may like! B-but they were all terrible.. I even.." A tear ran down his face.  
"What have you done my pupi-Veyelline?"

She reached out a hand almost to wipe the tear away but stopped herself and pulled it back, worried she may startle him.  
_No... He's still not okay..._  
She instead placed her hand gently on the ground between them, the blades of grass lacing between her fingers, her nails digging into the soil. She channeled her mana to draw forth soothing ,gentle regrowth into Agholor, some small roots lifting themselves from the ground to touch him.  
"I have perfected my skills in both combat and restoration..." she said. "The Dreamweavers are ever so impressed with me. They say they will speak with the Archdruids to see if I might be allowed into the Dreamgrove... But only on the condition that I can master one more discipline." 

"You have always been so talented Veyelline... I-I am sorry, I wasn't there to help you lately.."  
He placed a hand down on hers.  
"Wh-what is it you need to master?"  
The roots began to die as they grew too far on him. His presence seeming unwanted in this forest.

Vey immediately noticed the dying roots and realized her methods were rendered useless on him. This set off a massive mental alarm inside her.  
_... This is..._  
Her eyes widened and she jumped to her feet, tearing her hand away from his abnormally warm one.  
"... S-sorry, my friend. I was er... Startled by a noise nearby."  
She was thoroughly convinced that Agholor was not Agholor now. She was convinced that the void was ruling his mind and body. But.. Surely the man she grew to care for so much was still there?  
"On the night you had me make amends with Maelha.. The day I showed you the black feathers sprouting from my thighs, and we took them to be the form of a bird... We were mistaken."  
She had wanted to admit this travesty to him for so long, and she hoped doing so now would draw him out from the whispers.  
"I have another power inside me... A strong but terrible power. It turns me into a beast and grants me the power of the eternal cosmos. But... I can't control it. It only comes out when I am emotionally compromised... I was beginning to discover this transformation that day. Little did I know later that afternoon I would become that beast and nearly use its power to murder Maelha..."  
She looked at her feet in shame.  
"If you... If you hadn't called out to me... If I hadn't heard your voice..."  
She couldn't bear to finish the statement.  
"I must learn to control this beast within me. The Dreamweavers call it the Moonkin, under the discipline of 'Balance.' Only when I can control it... Will they let me in."

His eyes widened, " P-please.. do not fear me my dear.. e-everyone fears me.." He stood up to look at her, his frayed hair blowing in the wind. "What you speak of reminds me of myself, and there was a time where I could have taught you exactly what to do.. but now.."  
Tears began to stream from his eyes. Though his face remained the same as if it were stone.  
"H-help me Veyelline... I-I want things to- to go back to-" He fell to his knees. 

Seeing his pain made her feel it too. Her heart ached for him so much it was unbearable. She too stifled a sob behind a closed hand as the tears welled up.  
"I-I want that too... I want it more than I can put in words."  
She knelt down to level with him and finally allowed herself to reach out and place a hand against his warm, wet face.  
"I do not fear you... I fear what the void is doing to you. I fear the shadows and their promises."  
She drew back her hand and clenched it into a tight fist filled with bright moonfire.  
"But you must _fight them_ like I know you can... The way Alleria taught you to. You _must_!"

Agholor's face went pale, and his body temperature began to drop. "Veyelline.. I have missed you so much I-"  
He was cut off by a crimson colored vine running through his left shoulder. It exited and he fell limp to her feet. Behind him stood a man, or at least it was in the shape of a man. It was made up of blood red lines and where it's head was, a large bloodshot eyeball-esque globule.

"AGHOLOR?!"  
She fumbled to turn him over and inspect his wound. Dark purple blood gushed from him in large amounts. She promptly applied pressure to it using only the heel of her palm.  
She looked up at the dark red being in terror. She had never seen anything of its sort. She'd heard the Dreamweavers speak of the blood red Nightmare that threatened to overtake the Emerald Dream but she was told it was eradicated prior to the liberation of Suramar years ago.  
_Could it be?!_

The being looked over to Veyelline and stared at her for a moment. It then shot forth a multitude of vines reaching for her limbs to drag her close to it.

Vey's combat instincts instantly kicked in. Before the vines could make their target she leaped forward mid transformation into her cat form with a mighty roar and slashed them apart with one fell swipe of her claws.  
She landed on all fours and growled loudly at the monster, waiting for it to make its next move.

The being looked at it's broken tentacles. Then at Veyelline. Then it appeared behind Veyelline On an instant and grabbed her by her back paws.

It did not react to her fangs. It lifted her up and it's eye opened to reveal two nightmarish jaws preparing to devour the cat.

She screeched and screamed and hissed as loudly as her cat voice could, swiping at it with her claws to no avail... It seemed to be indestructible to her.  
Her first thought was to try to transform into something else but there was no way she had time.  
_Is this it..? Is this... The end?_

The forest went dark and an Icicle struck the being in it's head. Behind Veyelline was Agholor, his whole body seeped in a dark deep purple. Suddenly there was a maelstrom of Ice shards and wind that surrounded Agholor as he floated through the air towards the being.  
Icicles had began to form on it's vines, and it's movements became slow and laborious. Agholor lifted his hand and produced a dark swirling crystal of Ice larger than his own body, and sent it like a bullet toward the nightmare vestige. It struck it directly at incredible speeds. It let out a terrifying cry from the pain it was enduring.  
Agholor then produced another one, and another , and another each landing on top of the other until their we're no traces of the monster left. Once he was satisfied with what he had done, the Maelstrom was suppressed. The purple subsided, and he returned to the ground.  
Once his feet touched down to the ground he gasped for air and collapsed into the field.

The monster dropped Veyelline when the first of the massive ice crystals hit it. By the time she hit the ground she had reverted back into her normal self.  
She watched in awe, crawling backwards away from the wildly flying shards of snow and ice. A few caught her skin, leaving small cuts in their wake.  
_This power...! It is the void and his ice magic combined!_  
When the creature was destroyed and Agholor had slumped to the ground. Veyelline immediately got up and sprinted to his side, breathing heavily in panic, her heart pounding loudly in her chest.  
She dropped to her knees next to him and promptly turned him over onto his back.  
"Agholor? Agholor!! AGHOLOR?!" she cried, shaking him in attempt to rouse him. She noticed where his wound was that an ethereal tentacle had sprouted. She swatted it away to see the wound fully cauterized. 

Agholor came too after a minute and sat up where he lay. His wound closed but his hair was soaked in his own blood. The void that consumed him had also completely dissipated. "Ooh Veyelline, my head hurts." He sucked his teeth at the pain and then his eyes opened large. "VEYELLINE!" He lunged at her and held her in the deepest hug he had ever given.. to anyone. "..Vey.." he whispered, "I though I... I thought I was going to lose you."  
_I saved her... I saved her?_

When Veyelline was enveloped in his strong embrace she felt a warmth inside her like no other she had ever felt. Her stomach tingled with butterflies and her chest felt thick and heavy. When she heard his whispers a sensation traveled from her ear all the way down her spine and into her feet.  
Tears streamed down her face as she gripped him tightly right back, wrapping her arms underneath his and across his wide, strong back. She buried her face into the side of his neck, the smell of his skin, his hair, and his blood filling her nostrils. A familiar smell that took her back in time to that very first time she encountered him.  
  
_A blue blood elf? How peculiar..._  
_Why do I trust him? He is one with the void!_  
_Why is he so kind to me... Why is he so willing to help me find my father?_  
_He is so very strong. He is my teacher._  
_He is my dearest friend._  
_He is..._  
  
All of a sudden, everything clicked in Veyelline's mind. The words of her father echoed out... `Love brings both pain and pleasure, and ultimately clouds the mind. `Vey's mind had been clouded ever since that first meeting. None of her decisions made sense but they felt right in her heart. All this time she thought it was the will of Elune but now she realized it was something else entirely... Something from within Veyelline herself.  
She pulled back to face him, their foreheads touching and looked into his eyes more deeply than ever before. She took his face tenderly in both hands and leaned in to press her lips against his with every ounce of passion in her body.

Agholor's face lit up immediately. Every fear, woe, and pain melting from him. His wants and desires culminated into this moment. He was stunned for the first few seconds and then brought his hands up, one caressing her neck and the other on her cheek.  
He kissed her back with the same amount of passion in return.  
_I-is.. di-did she.._  
He couldn't think straight. The only thing that made sense was her embrace and her touch, so he continued fearlessly. His heart on his sleeve, his lips wet upon her's, he showed her his true feelings that he had been holding onto all this time.

Everything around them seemed to dissolve into nothingness. There was nothing and no-one else in the world but Veyelline and Agholor.  
She kissed him for what felt like hours as all of time stood still. His lips cool and smooth, his tongue tasted like heaven as it danced with hers. His teeth would catch on her lips but she was careful not to snag him with her fangs.  
Her hands ran through his dirty hair and placed themselves on the back of his neck so she could hold him even closer.  
The sense of rightness she felt was overwhelming. He was everything in her world and she wanted to be everything in his for all of eternity. 

It seemed all of Agholor's senses were intertwined with Veyelline's. Her warm body seemed to melt the frozen shell that was his body. All his defenses lowered, and he was slave to his feelings and her flesh.  
Once the kiss ended and their lips parted, Agholor took Vey by her cheeks. "Well well, my dear, tha-that was.. so... needed." A dark blush took his face, but he didn't care. He kept staring into her eyes. So much relief and happiness filling what was depression and heartache.

She smiled and a small laugh came out along with more tears. Her body was aflame with joyous warmth and it felt as though she were floating on a cloud.  
Along with the surges of happiness though was another feeling for Agholor... a feeling of worry for him.  
"Are... are you alright? Your shoulder... your head... does it hurt?"  
She ran the back of her hand gently across his forehead. She noticed now that his skin was saturated in a dark black soot along with the blood and dried streaks where tears had fallen.  
"We should leave... we should get you back home right away."

"Ahh yes! I should most likely clean myself of the filth" He stood up tall and proud to have overcome his personal demons.  
With a sharp breath in and a smile on his face he took a gallant step forward. As soon as his foot hit the ground, it collapsed like a wet noodle, sending him plummeting face first into the dirt. "OOH!... ouch." He sucked his teeth again at the pain, which he in general was not used to feeling.  
"I-I may need a bit of assistance my-" He paused and took a small breath in. "My- love."

She couldn't help but grin and blush at him calling her his love, but she was terribly worried about him. At least he was beginning to act like his silly old self again.  
"I'll get you onto my back and carry you to the nearest flight master... we'll be home in no time... my love."  
With this, she crawled up to him and pulled his body on top of hers. She then transformed into a doe and carried him swiftly through the brush as fast as her legs could take her.

\----- SKIP -----

Veyelline helped Agholor into her room and into her bed as quickly as she could, still very worried about his condition. The events in the bathroom were amazing, and she was still riding the high from them, but she also was beginning to come back to reality.  
She was concerned about the creature they encountered in the forest and wondered it if was truly dead... And wondered if it's injury to Agholor could be running deeper than it seemed in his weakened condition.  
Once he was comfortably in bed, she climbed in right next to him, laying on her side facing him. She snuggled her body as close to him as she could. He was beginning to feel cold again which she suspected was actually a good sign.  
"Agholor... What was that thing that hurt you today...? How did it get there... And why were you so insistent to go there? What has the void been saying to you these past few weeks...?"

He looked solemnly up at the ceiling, "A vestige of I'llganoth, a remnant of a nightmare long past." He shook his head in disappointment, "In my despair I allowed my inner demons to control me... I hope you can come to forgive me for that.." He began to frown and searched for her hand with his own. The only thing he wanted now was her embrace. Once finding it he squeezed it tightly.  
"I promise, I will protect you, from the evils of this world, and myself." 

She placed her head atop his shoulder and pressed her face into his neck, contorted with concern.  
"... do you think we should tell the Dreamweavers? Or are you confident that it is gone now...?"  
She would not be able to forgive herself if something of her doing caused harm to the Emerald Dream. She also wanted to ensure she could bring Agholor there with her without fear of something like this happening to him again.  
"It seems that _you_ are the one who needs protecting.. and I swear on my life I will not let you fall to the shadows. I will not lose you as I lost... him... "  
Her thoughts now turned to her father. What would he think if he knew she was laying with this man? She hoped one day when they were together again he would approve... and that he would even come to love Agholor as well.

"It may be wise, though they may decide it is my fault. The _druids_ of Val'Sharah and I have not always been on the _best_ of terms." Not many races of Azeroth were very fond of the Void Elves, and he was used to being shunned. He thought for a moment about his meeting with her father, after what they just did.  
_I guess we should cross that road when we get to it...  
_"Tomorrow we continue your training. And I promise you,on my life, we will find your fath-" He snuggled up to her and passed out, absolutely exhausted from their day. 

She felt his breathing steady as his chest rose and fell in rhythm. She planted a kiss on his neck and didn't say another word.  
She lay awake for a while just listening to his heart beating and enjoying the feeling of his body against hers. Many thoughts crossed her somehow still active mind.  
  
_Should we really start training tomorrow? He should rest and regain his strength first..._  
_I can wait... His health takes priority._  
_I'll send a letter explaining everything, and let them know I'll be away for a while..._  
_Yes this is what's best. What's best for Agholor._  
_It will likely take some time for me to master the Moonkin form. There are still some things I can do simply from home._  
_I won't stagnate completely...  
__Mother... Father... Agholor... I won't fail you._

Finally, she drifted off to sleep.


	7. The Monk

For the next week, Veyelline stayed by Agholor's side while his body was in recovery. On the morning after the incident with Il'gynoth he was so weak he could barely stand. Despite his insisting on being fine, Vey insisted right back that he remain in bed and let her use her restoration therapy on him until he had his strength back. He obliged, even if for nothing more than to have her home with him that much longer.

Maelha soon found out about Veyelline and Agholor's newfound love for each other. She had been concerned for Agholor for the past month as well, and when she came to check on him one morning to find him in Veyelline's bed, she was incredibly confused. Veyelline did not hesitate to let her know what was going on. At first this was met with a jaw dropped in shock, and a very huffy and disapproving young Draenei. However, after a couple of days the huffiness seemed to pass and Maelha came to accept their relationship. Maelha and Veyelline were still not friends by any means but they did much better at getting along ever since the incident with the Moonkin form.

Finally, the fruits of Vey's labor on restoring Agholor were starting to be noticeable. His body regained much of the muscle he had lost and his skin had its familiar blue shine. He was smiling more and joking with her more. As a result, she loved him even more. She felt she loved him more every single moment that passed. But Veyelline could not forget the promise of the druids to let her into the Dreamgrove if she could master Balance. Time was still of the essence, and the time had come for her to return to Val'sharah to commune with the Dream in preparation for her rigorous training...

\-----

Agholor awoke bright and early and hopped out of bed. Strangely he had been sleeping soundly ever since he had began spending the night with Vey, and it was a welcome relief. He did his morning stretches and workout routine and came back to Veyelline, sleeping soundly in bed.  
_How hard she has worked for this hopeless wretch  
_He laughed at his frailty and walked out to the balcony to overlook Dalaran. The city before the sunrise was calm, silent, preparing for the bustle of the next day. The breeze smelling of freshly baked meats and pastries made his mouth water.  
_I am ready to begin living my better life.. It has been so long since I was excited for the next day._

Veyelline's eyes fluttered open to see that Agholor was no longer in bed with her. This was the first morning he had gotten up before her since he started his bed rest. She yawned, rubbed her eyes and sat up to look for him, her mass of heavy purple hair a complete mess.  
She noticed the door to the balcony was open so she wrapped herself in her favorite silk robe (a gift from Agholor made just for her of course) and went out on the balcony to see him standing there enjoying the morning air.  
"Good morning... You seem to be feeling well!"

Agholor turned to her and leaned on the banister behind him. He was shirtless with one of his custom silk trousers on. The sweat from his work out glistening on his chest in the newly risen sunlight.  
"Good morning my dear Veyelline," he responded seductively "I was studying your sleeping form this morning. It was.... _enchanting_. I could hardly look away."

Her face turned pink and she grinned bashfully at his romantic words. She walked over to give him a good morning hug.  
"As always you are far too kind... I'm surely a mess this morning... I had a hard time sleeping last night."  
Before pulling away to lean on the banister herself she planted a soft kiss on his lips.

"Hmm, I did notice you tossing more than usual last night. Is something bothering you? Is it something I did?" Agholor's mind began deducing all of the possible culprits of disturbance in the young druid life, as well as analyzing every aspect of himself to see where he could improve.  
Agholor was confident, but had never been in a relationship. This was very new to him, and the perfectionist in him would not allow him to fail.

"No! No no.. You have done nothing but good for me..." she replied, leaning her head over on top of his. Being so much taller than him, it was often he whose head lay on her shoulder rather than the opposite.  
"It's just... I've neglected my training for an entire week now..." she looked into the distance with worry on her face, "I need to go and speak with the Dreamweavers. I know they told me to take my time after they heard of what happened but I am still determined to accomplish the task they have assigned to me..."  
She then looked at Agholor with the fire of determination, but also with a nervous hesitation.  
_I do not believe they will want me to bring him there with me again after what happened... I'll have to go alone as I used to._

Agholor smiled and nodded, "I believe... Balance.. was where we left off?"  
His smile was sincere though the thought of her leaving was weighing heavy on his heard. He would, however, make good on his promises. After all, this is what people who love each other do, he assumed.  
"Are you ready to begin Veyelline?"

She looked at him with all of the longing in her heart, but laced with a very real sadness as well. She was told love was painful and never had reason to doubt it but also never knew just how that pain would feel. It was different from a cut or bruise, and not quite similar to the pain she felt when she lost her father. In this moment the thought of being apart from Agholor was devastating to Veyelline... Even for just a few hours.  
However... She resigned herself to the way she dealt with things in the past. She didn't like being apart from him even before, prior to the revelation that she was in love with him, but it didn't stop her from moving forward, and she would not let it stop her now either.  
"I have spent so much time channeling my Restoration this past week that I fear my connection to the Dream is not as stable as it should be. I must take today and likely tomorrow as well to go and meditate... To commune with the wilds. I should spend a few days in Feral form and I should spend a day or so channeling the Moonkin's spirit as I had practiced before... Only then will I be ready to accept your aid."

Agholor, prepared to leave for a new adventure, was thrown through a loop at the thought of her leaving.  
"I-I see... well, I shan't keep you waiting!" He began to think of what he would do while she was away. He couldn't, and began racking his brain frantically for tasks and ideas.  
"Do you require any help getting ready?" He was searching desperately for a reason to keep her around for any scavenge-able length of time.

 _He's... So supportive...  
_She felt as thought she would cry. She reached out her hands to take hold of his and squeezed then tight.  
"If you could help me find the best most natural-feeling leather clothing in my wardrobe.. That would be ever so helpful."  
She mustered up a smile to help her hold back the tears.  
_I should be happy! Why am I crying?! So many feelings I can't control..._

"Excellent! I will be back swiftly with my recommendations!" He gave her a quick tight hug and was off into the closet to grab, many... Many different outfits and presented them to her. After around 15 minutes he returned with a very large rack of selections.  
"Alright Veyelline I have assembled 42 different outfits. Let's review them shall we?"

While Agholor was searching through her wardrobe, Veyelline did the arduous job of brushing out her hair. She also helped herself to a quick snack from the kitchen, and was feeling good about her day already. She did everything she could to ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach of knowing she would be away from Agholor all day.  
When she came back to her room and saw the mass of clothes strewn about, she was pleased to see that right there in his hand was the exact thing she wanted.  
"Thank you! This is _perfect!_ You are truly the best, Agholor!"  
She excitedly took the garment from his grasp and gave him a peck on the cheek before starting to dress herself.

Agholor's face was dumbfounded. Surely it would have taken an hour or so to go into detail for each outfit. The idea that he would have to go a day without her was rapidly coming to reality. He decided to take a few deep breaths and accept it. He could deal without her for one day, right?  
"Is there anything else you may require of me?"

Now fully dressed and ready to go, Vey turned back to face her gorgeous lover with a tender smile.  
"I just need you... to wait for me," she said, seeing the sadness in his eyes as she moved towards the door, "I promise I will be back before sunset so that we may watch it together."  
She wrapped her arms around him tightly one last time, telling herself over and over that everything would be fine, and they'd be together again before too long.

He hugged her back, holding back his sadness and squeezing her tightly. Then he let her go off to adventure on her own. "I love you, be safe! You can do it!" He called out as she left.

The moment she hit the sidewalk outside she closed her eyes and transformed into a bird to fly out to Val'Sharah once again. Her heart was heavy the entire way as she thought of how much she missed Agholor already.

Agholor watched as she flew away, each second she did, his heart began to sink. What would he do if not with her? He began to think of things he'd usually do to pass the time. Everything was boring if he didn't do it with Veyelline. He paced for a while in his room, trying to decide on something of merit to accomplish. All of a sudden it dawned on him...  
_I... I am quite famished_  
He remembered the smells filling the early morning Dalaran air and craved himself a tundra berry tart and some strips of bacon. Having his mind now fixated on tundra berry tarts, his favorite flavor of anything, he grabbed his satchel and made for the streets of Dalaran.  
"Maelha dear! I will be out for awhile. Perhaps I will come back for lunch!"  
  
Once on the streets it seemed he couldn't help but drag his feet. The food stand being on the other side of town combined with his waning morale made for a very daunting trek. Nevertheless, with a stomach growling like a Highlands grizzly he made his way down the quite and sparsely populated morning Dalaran streets.

\-----

The red worgen, Khrystia, had decided to sleep on a bench in Dalaran the night before after waiting up most of the night to make sure her companion Gaeralf returned safely from a training mission. The sunrise had stirred her to awaken and she realized she'd been in her worgen form the entire time. She cursed herself for being so lackadaisical. She'd grown far too comfortable in that city after all the time she'd spent there during the war against the Legion. She decided to keep to this form for a while longer, as her heightened sense of smell had detected the scent of someone whom was undoubtedly a well-kept individual, and whom also just so happened to be striding towards her. She readied herself to pick pockets if she detected valuables within them.

Agholor turned the corner on the street where she lay, his eye catching her giant furry form.  
_I wonder how that fur would feel....? WAIT no! We won't be thinking about that now._  
The only fur for him was the chance at touching Veyelline's animal forms. There was no place for anyone but his love.  
He took a bite into his pasty, relishing the taste and hummed happily as he walked to the alchemy store.

 _What's this... a void elf? Interesting... they really have begun to fully integrate into the Alliance._  
She made a mental note of his scent, and to smell for other void elves when she could. She was highly curious of their nature, especially with many of them having been former members of the Horde.  
She detected a small pouch of gold on his person and debated for a moment whether to steal it. She could also tell by his garb that he was a mage, and a powerful one at that. Until she became more comfortable around void elves it'd be in her best interest not to risk a scuffle with one, especially one who dabbled in magic.  
Instead, she decided to follow and observe him for a while.

He entered the alchemy store and looked for any new imports. No luck, and nothing he really needed. He waved back to the shop keep and asked him to keep him informed on any new imports. He began to trot his way over to the textile shop, nothing new there either.  
_Mmmmh- nothing new nothing to do... I could drink? I could train? Why? What?  
_He became increasing frustrated at his indecision and decided a drink _could_ cool him down. So he made his way over to the ledgermain lounge in hopes that action may be brewing.

Khrystia had followed him around the entire time, completely undetected, but wasn't getting much out of it. He just seemed like a basic, boring, blood elf mage who just so happened to be blue.  
She didn't really feel like going into the bar, so after one last peek at him from the doorway she decided to head down to the Hall of Shadows to see if her dear friend Tess Greymane was there. She calmed herself enough to transform back into her human form before discreetly walking in the direction of one of the hidden entrances.

\-----

Agholor sat down at the bar and ordered a drink. A hard drink. The monotony of the day seemed magnified in Veyelline's absence and he could not shake the dithering drone of the daily humdrum. He guzzled the drink down and decided to search the bar to see who else was there. He saw a few beings, both savory and unsavory and scoped down individuals who qualified as potential candidates for conversation. This could have, however, been taken as an awkwardly inquisitive stare by those whom he had targeted with his peircing gaze. Nevertheless, intelligent banter was what he craved, and he was a man on a mission.

"... B-but I _need_ it! The Grandmaster will be very grumpy if I don't bring it to him by the end of today. When will you have more? Do any other places around have it?!"  
A young female Pandaren with black and white fur and purple streaks in her carefully positioned long bunned hair was interrogating the bartender boisterously. She was obviously very distressed that the bar was missing a specific thing.

Agholor's eyes snapped to the conversation taking place between the young pandaren girl and the barkeeper. He hadn't met many pandaren, let alone ones who seemed interested in life outside of Pandaria, so he was intrigued. He decided this could yield conversation potentially worth while to him, so he shimmered into the seat next to her and began conversing with the bar tender.  
"Excuse me my young friend, what exactly is it you are looking for?" He inquired with the panda.

The huffy Pandaren snapped her head to look at Agholor with her bright brown eyes and cheeks puffed out like they were ready to pop. She exhaled and bowed her head for a moment to collect herself before responding to the stranger.  
"My friend is working on a new brew in the Underbelly and he had sent me specifically to obtain some Ley-enriched water from this bar."  
She angrily side-eyed the bartender before continuing, "... but _apparently_ they are out. Or claim to be."  
She sighed and placed her face in her handpaws, "He told me not to return without it so I suppose I'll have to try to get to Suramar somehow to retrieve some myself."

Agholor smiled excitedly, "It just so happens I have some of this water at my parlor!"  
He got down on one knee and bowed. "My dear panda would you join me for tea?"  
_And perhaps we can discuss some of the magics of Pandaria!  
_The thought excited him and he began formulating questions to propose to the young monk.

Her eyes widened with surprise at the gentlemanly actions of the elf, and it was only at this precise moment that she realized what sort of elf she was talking to. In her annoyance with the situation at hand she paid no mind at first. She was a very outgoing young lady so she had a tendency to speak before thinking, even when approached by strangers.  
"Oh! Th-that's fantastic news! Uhm... who.. are you? Exactly?"  
_Stupid Seiri, telling your problems to people you don't even know, and in a place like this no less!  
_She studied the blue-haired Void Elf top to bottom. He certainly seemed powerful, most definitely a mage of some sort. And how brave of him to be out in the open! She knew of the Void Elves and their journey from exile to acceptance. She sympathized with them deeply, having been through her own share of prejudice from the Alliance races when her kin began to leave the Wandering Isle for the first time to join the ranks of the Alliance and Horde. The idea of having a Void Elf for a friend was a very interesting prospect to her, but then again, she simply adored making new friends of any kind.

"My name is Agholor my dear panda! I am a mage of Dalaran and a patron of life! And who might you be?"  
A warmer welcome had not been seen by him in ages, especially from someone he had only just met. This was sizing up to be an encounter most worth his time.

"Agholor... Agholor... Bear with me, it'll probably take me a bit of time to remember that! Pleased to meet you - I am Seiri Spiritsong." She placed her hands together and bowed respectfully to him.  
"Now then... how can I be sure you aren't luring me into some sort of... freaky... void trap?" she said with a giggle. She was joking of course, and hoped her tone connotated so.

Agholor giggled back to her joke.  
_Crude observational humor, but humor nonetheless. Harder than one would realize to find in this day and age.  
_"I can assure you, Seiri, there is no trap here. Besides perhaps the trappings of my charm and guile." He said suavely with a sarcastic wink.

 _Oh brother... this one was definitely a Blood Elf in his past life._  
She smiled and shook her head in bewilderment.  
"Well alright, I will go with you, but if you're pulling a fast one on me I assure you I am more than capable of protecting myself!"  
She was naturally warm and trusting of strangers but also careful not to let her guard down. While there were many with good intentions there were just as many with bad. Seiri may have been open-minded but certainly was not dumb. She was among the strongest healers in the Order of the Broken Temple, with potent and deadly Chi at her disposal. Many of the Alliance champions knew of her and knew her name. She did not expect a Void Elf to know it, however, being so new to the faction.

Agholor lead Seiri to his humble abode, and lead her to the kitchen off to the side of his main store room. He put the tea on and walked into a storage pantry at the other end of the room. In front of her, a table sat with chairs placed lazily around. With a snap of his fingers, tea ware and doilies accented the tables and the chairs pulled themselves in. One stayed pulled out, inviting her to sit down. He called back from the pantry to drum up conversation.  
"So you are here with your master? What might his name be?"

Seiri was highly amused by the whimsical magic he was performing on the household items. She was beaming at everything around her in the mage's home.  
She took a seat with a big grin on her face and reached for her teacup, before taking a sip, swirling it with her finger - some minty green mist puffing up into the air from her hand.  
"Oh, he's not _my_ master," she said, taking a sip.  
"He's one of the Grandmasters of the order though. A lonely one. I am his assistant."

"A grandmaster!?" The notion of a master of chi being here exhilarated and excited him. "I had assumed most had gone back to the wandering isles by now, what is his business in Dalaran?" He had retrieved 4 bottles of let water and left then on the counter.  
He had the tea pour itself and deliver itself to the Seiri and himself.

She pondered this question for a moment, realizing that she wasn't herself entirely sure why LuXun stuck around. She pulled from her own speculation to answer.  
"Oh, mostly for his brews... Many potent ingredients to be found in the Broken Isles and many end up in the shops here."  
She added a little more mist from her paw to the tea and sipped again, nodding at its decided improvement from her addition.

"I see, I would very much like to meet him someday! There is much I still do not know about your chi magics!"  
He sipped his tea politely and then noticed the mist she added to hers.  
"OH! You are a Mistweaver? FANTASTIC!" He almost stood up from excitement, but in doing so hit his knee on the tables underside and winced from both the pain and his foolishness.  
"I-I may be in need of someone with your services!"

Seiri laughed confidently and spun up a soothing mist stream from her paw directly into his aching knee. She loved it when people recognized her talent - it made her smiling face glow with pride.  
"You _do_ seem like you need my services! Watch what you do with that knee!"  
She finished channeling the mist and thought back to his comment about LuXun.  
"As for the Grandmaster, I'd be happy to take you to meet him, especially since you helped me to obtain the water he needed."

Agholor chuckled at the Panda's joke. "I do wish panda that it was only my knee that needed healing. DO you mind If I show you what needs mending?" He asked, solemnly and more serious than his previous tone.

Catching on to his now serious tone, she straightened up in her chair and looked at him with intensity.  
"I'm happy to take a look - If I can help in any way, I most certainly will."

"Very well, I appreciate it. A young druid is looking into it, but what she has done has only hindered the wounds growth. I have full faith in her and she is quite talented. But a more experienced hand may be needed."  
He removed his shirt and revealed a large patch over his right shoulder. The patch had a pinkish seepage showing through, obviously in need of changing. He slowly removed the patch to reveal a crimson, festering, boil ridden wound with what seemed to be the tiniest of tendrils growing on the edges of it.  
"It has only grown since I received it. Unseen amounts, thanks to my friends magic, but after careful examination I have measured a centimeter of expansion."

"Oh _my_! What in the world... did _this_ to you?! I've never seen a wound quite like this!"  
She was simultaneously disgusted and enthralled by the affliction. She immediately scooted her chair closer to get a better look, her eyes darting all around it and her face contorting in thought.  
"... May I?" she asked, reaching a paw towards his shoulder.

"Absolutely, though I would be careful. I am not sure if it is infected or contagious." He winced at the open air on his wound.

She suddenly drew back a bit, thinking a little harder about what sort of being she was dealing with.  
"... Does this wound originate with the Void? Come now, you have to tell me all the details, or I won't be able to do my best work."

Agholor pondered as to how he would answer her. He didn't want to come right out and alarm her to what had happened.  
"To be honest I am not quite sure, I got speared from the back and passed out from the piercing agony. When I came too, a pile of leaves and a wilted eyeball bigger than my head were sitting in a stack of giant ice shards. I am assuming it may have to do with the crimson nightmare."  
He hoped it would be enough information to allow her to aid him further.

"The nightmare... interesting... I recall seeing some druids afflicted by it during the war with the Legion, but it never looked quite like this. You sure your druid friend isn't actually making it worse?"  
She placed her left paw on his shoulder, and her right held ever so lightly to the edge of the wound. Only the very tips of her fur were touching it.  
"I'm going to try a quick detox first just to see how it reacts... hold still..."  
She focused intently on the wound and a gentle green and gold glow emitted from her palm. A mote of light began to circle around Agholor's shoulder where her other paw was anchored.

His hands gripped the armrests of his chair, the pain was indescribable, but he gritted his teeth and powered through it. Hit was always pulsating with some low level pain, but even when Veyelline treated it he felt he would vomit.  
"J-just making su-sure. Is it sup-osed to h-hurt?" He began to shake more.

"Just another moment... and I'll start some pain relief for you..."  
She continued to focus intently on her detoxing energy. The golden light finally swirled up and out of his body and disintegrated into a pale green puff.  
"There... okay, here comes the good part!"  
She released his shoulder and now held both of her paws out in front of her pointed towards the wound. She muttered to herself in Mogu for a moment before a large burst of green mist emitted from her paws and saturated the entire right side of Agholor's body. After that burst, a guided beam of continuous green swirls of mist flowed into his body through the front of the exit hole and back out through his back.

"Ahhhhhh, what a relief..." He slouched in his chair with the lifting of the pain. "Did it work? It feels... Somewhat better.. at least I think it does." He was anxious to run tests to see if this method was successful.

The soothing mists stopped flowing after a few minutes, and she placed her paws in her lap, looking at Agholor with a soft smile.  
"I do not expect this one session to fully heal it... I expect you'll need many more treatments like this over time before it starts to recede..."  
Her voice was a bit somber, but she spoke with confidence nonetheless.  
"I admit I'm not one hundred percent sure of that either, but it did seem to react well. Does it feel better than when your druid works on it?"

Agholor rotated his shoulder and went through the motions of spell casting with his injured side. "It seems to be on the mend my dear panda. Though nothing can compare to having Veyelline here, this was quite effective!"  
He paused and looked at Seiri with wide eyes. "Would I be able to schedule further house calls? I think a weekly visit could greatly improve this malignancy!"  
He seemed almost giddy from the pain relief.

Seiri was elated that she was able to relieve his pain, and she was starting to catch on that this druid 'Veyelline' was very dear to him. She suddenly became worried that she may be overstepping boundaries by being here and helping him, but he certainly did need it so she tried to focus on that.  
"As long as Grandmaster LuXun is in Dalaran, I will be here as well. I'll gladly put aside time to come back as I think studying this wound could improve my skills - You are also among the first void elves I've ever healed so that's good experience as well."  
She was spinning it as a training opportunity but in reality she liked the guy. It wasn't often she was met with such genuine excitement for her craft, and she could tell this mage wasn't trying to merely exploit her for a change.

"Excellent!" He stood up abruptly and shook her hand. "I will send a message when I require you next. Oh and here!" He snapped his fingers and a maroon velvet bag appeared it chinked when it appeared and seemed to be heavy. "Oh and be sure not to forget your leywater!" He put them in a leather satchel he had in the kitchen and handed both bags to her.

"Oh! The water is far payment enough... Are you sure?"  
She would not often heal for monetary pay unless doing so for a war effort, so this was a really special gesture. She reached out for the satchel nonetheless.  
"Oh my... This bag is so nice! An expert tailor must have made it, and you're just going to give it to me??"

"Hmmm? Oh nononono just a spare I had made, it's nothing really." He laughed it off but it was actually a limited run he had made only having provided it to subtly show off.

Seiri raised her eyebrows in disbelief, but dismissed it as him just being exceptionally wealthy.  
"Well, thank you very much.. Ag.. Agho...? Oh darn me and my forgetfulness!"

"Agholor, my dear. It's an odd name I know. Keep me updated with how Luxun's brew turns out my friend!" He looked at the clock and realized the time. "Oh my! Look at the time! My.. umm.. friend is going to be back soon! I'm going to need to clean this place so it is ready!" He became slightly frantic.

"O-okay!! I'll be going back to the Grandmaster with the water then. Best of luck with your.. Er.. Friend?"  
She scurried to the door with her two gorgeous new bags and more than enough money to get herself and LuXun a nice meal.  
"It was nice to meet you Agholor! You keep an eye on that wound, okay? Keep in touch!"

He snapped out of his fixation to say goodbye sincerely.  
"Good bye Seiri! You will hear from me soon!"  
He immediately began cleaning what little there was to actually clean. However he did it fervently and repeatedly. And then retreated to his balcony to eagerly await his new young lover's arrival.

\-----

Agholor spent untold _minutes_ pacing back and forth hoping that his new love would return to him safely.  
 _If anything happened to her I swear I will TRACK DOWN WHOEVER- calm down, it just became sunset.  
_ He spritzed himself with frost to keep from over heating from anticipation.

Veyelline was eager to get home to Agholor. Her day spent communing with the dream was highly successful, but it had most definitely been hard on her emotions. All she wanted was to hold him and be held for the rest of the night before she knew she had to go back yet again.  
She flew up and into the floating city and made her way towards the familiar tower, aiming to land on the balcony just outside her bedroom. As she drew closer her keen eyes scanned to see if he would be there waiting for her.

Agholor's eyes scanned the horizon until they noticed a familiar, beautiful, shapely avian form approaching his tower. He ran to the banister and began to wave eagerly at the bird. He had missed Veyelline more than he had anticipated and it was evident.  
"Veyelline!" His voice was filled with excitement.

When she saw him there and heard him call out to her, she screed with joy and flapped her wings faster. He was even more handsome and perfect than she remembered! She reckoned that the saying 'absence makes the heart grow fonder' was pretty well founded.  
She swooped down to land gracefully right in front of him and promptly transformed into her natural night elf form.  
"Agholor... I missed you!" she said, practically throwing herself at him.

Agholor wrapped her into a tight hug, pressing his body as closely as he possibly could. Her absence was harder than he had ever imagined, but he was filled with pride from accomplishing his muddling through it. "Veyelline, I... I missed you so much!" He lifted her up and carried her into his room and sat her down in his lounger. "I want to know EVERY aspect of your day!"

Vey felt so warm and good inside from feeling him again. It was among the best feelings she had ever experienced, and she wanted it never to end. She held onto his hands as she told him the story of her day.  
"It was very good... I definitely needed it. My friends there were also pleased to see me back. I took tea and went into the Dream as a cat fairly early and spent a few hours just wandering there.... then when I awoke I was surrounded by a family of other cats! So I then spent the rest of my day traversing the forest with them and communing with their primal ways. I left feeling very close to my cat spirit."

Agholor's eyebrows twitched. The thought of her being in cat form all day made his heart flutter.  
 _I bet she looked so cute... and with the other cats... so cute...  
_ Agholor shook his head and cleared his throat as to not let the thought distract him.  
"Ehemmm, I bet that was very.. ummm... very _cute_..."  
He failed, and upon realizing began to blush from embarrassment.

She noticed him acting a little strangely in response and tilted her head in confusion.  
"Is... is it okay?? That... I did that?" she postured, at a loss as to why it wouldn't be but she simply couldn't get a read on his emotions and it worried her.

"Ummm... no-no, I mean YES! Well... you see."  
He began to fidget in his seat. He had never talked to anyone about this weakness of his. He felt if anyone could understand it was Veyelline.  
"Y-you see.. the reason I wanted that statue in the Hinterlands, and the reason I have a fascination with your animal forms... is because of how unBEARABLY cute you are. I can't help it Veyelline!" He swung an arm dramatically over his face while laying back in the lounger next to her.  
"Cute things have a power over me most mortals may never understand."

She blinked twice, and then her face contorted into a wide grin as she tried to hold back laughter.  
 _His love for cute things... makes HIM very cute himself!  
_ She leaned over onto him and gave him a kiss on his cheek.  
"I love this about you Agholor. I find new things to love about you every day. And thank you for sharing this with me... I promise I won't tell!"  
She lay on his shoulder with her arms around him tightly and thought for a moment,  
 _I now know a new way to make him happy... I'll just go into cat form whenever he seems down or sad or angry!  
_ _But I should probably be careful not to do it before leaving for the day... that could upset him even more.  
_ _Hmm but... what if..._  
She sat up and crawled into his lap with one leg on either side facing him.  
"Agholor would you like to cuddle with me as a cat right now?"

"Uh-um I- well that is- Um- y- _yes please_ " He stammered. He leaned forward and shifted his legs, brow sweating, breath heavy on Veyellines neck. "P-please?"

His actions made Veyelline swoon, tingly feelings travelling all up and down her spine. She leaned in to kiss his mouth gently before closing her eyes and focusing on her cat spirit. It didn't take much as she had gained so much strength already earlier that day.  
Directly there in his lap her body sprouted velvety purple fur and her face lengthened into a saber-toothed snout. The only parts mostly unchanged were her eyes and her ears, though her ears were now covered in the soft fur as well.  
She raised her paws up onto his shoulders and stretched, the claws coming out but not touching him, her mouth wide open right in front of him in a yawn.

Agholor's eyes darted around her entire cat body, a kid in a candy store. He looked at her fluffy chin, and felt her big paws on his shoulder. He rose his hands up and onto her face, smushing the cheeks and feeling the fur tingle beneath his fingers. They examined her fur and ended up at the base of the ears. They began to stroke their length.  
"H-how outrageously fluffy... and wa-warm."

Veyelline began to purr loudly, her throat vibrating so hard that the sensation traveled to the tips of her fur all over her upper body. She removed her paws from his shoulders and cuddled her huge head up against his small cheek, careful not to pierce him with her fangs. Her paws gripped his waist on either side and her tail wrapped around one of his legs.  
 _I hope he likes this... I know I do...  
_ The rubbing of her ears was simply heaven, especially knowing it was the man she loved most doing it to her.

\----- SKIP -----

Veyelline crawled up next to Agholor and lay her head on his shoulder. She placed a hand on the skin between his neck and shoulder and sighed.  
"... you know I have to go tomorrow too, right?"

"I know my dearest.." He ran a hand down her hair. "I will try to keep myself busy again. I'll tell you now, harder than I thought..." He made a pouty face. "We will need to make our next adventure a BIG one!"

She smiled and planted a kiss on his jaw.  
"Just a couple more days regaining my strength, and then I will need your help with the Moonkin.... after that I will be allowed into the Dreamgrove and I'll have all sorts of new resources..."  
She grew somber and serious, furrowing her brow in thought.  
"And then, we will search for my father... and we will not relent until we find him."

Agholor studied her determination and was inspired. "I will be sure to help you in every way i can my love. We will find him."  
He had not forgotten his promise he made a year ago.  
"I'll do some research to see where your father may be." He smiled warmly.

She cuddled up close to him and closed her eyes tight.  
"Thank you... I know you were meant to help me. I know together we can find him. I only hope that he is okay..."  
Her mind began to race considering all the possibilities. It had been a while since she allowed her worries to re-surface in her mind.  
  
 _What if he's in pain... what if he's angry at me?  
What if he doesn't want me anymore... what if... he's disappointed in me...  
_ _What if he doesn't like Agholor? Or that I've been with him?  
_ _What if we find his dead body...  
  
_ She shook her head to try to crush the fears back into the back of her mind once more.  
 _Regardless... I will find him and I will no longer need to wonder._

Agholor knew Veyelline's mind was racing. "Come now my dear, you mustn't worry yourself. First things first, we must find him." He smiled with determination and tussled her hair.  
"There is much ahead of you Veyeeline. Even when we find your father, more challenges will lie on the horizon."  
He looked wistfully towards the window, brightened by the lights of Dalaran.

She opened her eyes and felt a smile widen on her face. He always knew just what to say to ease her.  
"... Challenges that you and I will overcome together."  
She rose up to look at Agholor's shoulder to check his wound. She hadn't forgotten it but hadn't had a good close look yet.  
"It's looking a bit better today.. Do you want me to work on it a little? Also I don't recall you telling me about your day..."

"OH!" He had completely forgotten to tell her due to her unbelievably cute and fluffy cat form.  
"I actually had quite an eventful day! I met a Panda monk who was willing to help and try to heal my wound!" He grinned excitedly.  
"It seemed to make a difference, a most infused detoxifying magic, VERY interesting stuff!"

Vey was surprised to hear this - she had not known many Pandaren throughout her life but did know the healing methods of their monks to be incredibly potent.  
"That... That's wonderful! I'm sorry that my own healing hasn't been enough... But.. You getting better is what matters most."  
She couldn't pinpoint why but she was feeling a twinge of jealousy and shame now. There was no good reason for it and she knew that, but felt it anyway. She wanted to be the only one who took care of Agholor. Also the idea that this monk had to have seen him shirtless...  
"It's obviously not fully healed yet though... Are you going to meet with this monk again?"

"I believe it has healed from a combination of both your healing techniques, and I don't think I could do without your tender care my love." He gave her a suave smile and spoke very lovingly.

Hearing him say this eased her quite a bit, and the look he gave her made her blush.  
"I will always care for you... I promise," she began, "... But you didn't answer my question. Will you be seeing the monk again?"

"I will probably ask her to visit once a week, after all she was a very talented monk. I'll be healed in no time between your two combined expertise!" He chuckled and nuzzled back into the pillow pile.

 _She...  
_ Now Vey's heart really sank, all the way down into the pit of her stomach.  
  
 _A she-Panda? With her soft fur and... Likely... Very full body...  
_ _... Touching Agholor  
_ _Seeing his body._  
The body that he shares with ME!  
  
Her blood was beginning to boil with jealousy and she was considering giving up on everything in her training to just focus on healing so she could make sure she could show up the monk.  
She was visibly bothered, biting her lip and staring down at her knees, her eyes burning a hole into the unseen distance beyond them.

Agholor looked up to notice the young druid who seemed to be in a huff.  
 _Is she..jealous? Of Seiri? Oh Veyelline_  
"Veyelline, what going on in that mind of yours?" He sat up and poked her cheek.  
"My darling what is the matter?"

She was beginning to realize she was very bad at hiding her emotions. She also very much didn't want to lie to him, so she tried her best to put it in non-hostile sounding words. She knew she was being irrational.  
"I just.. I want to be the only one.."  
She paused, pondering her language further.  
"I want to be the only one to care for you. I want to be good enough... More than enough."  
She couldn't bring herself to look him in the face.  
"... I don't want you to see the monk again but I also want this wound to fully heal. Perhaps I should change my focus entirely and give my all to Restoration practices... "  
On the inside she knew she didn't mean that and it was not the right path, but her emotions had hold of her in a way she couldn't fight easily.

He sat up and placed a hand on her shoulder.  
"Veyelline... one person can not fix every problem they come across. All one can do is help as much as they can."  
He looked out the window again. "You are my only love, remember that. This is new for me, but I must let you know, I will stay faithful to you. I am not a monster, contrary to my appearance." He chuckled though he felt a truth from what he said.  
"I love you." He added softly.

Vey finally found the strength from his words to look at him. She had both admiration and longing in her eyes.  
"You... Do not look like a monster. You never have. And you never will. At least as long as I've known you."  
This got her thinking about Agholor... Who he was in this moment, and who he used to be before she knew him. She knew bits and pieces - little things, and general things - but there was still so much she didn't know about his past.  
"You say this is new for you yet you tell me you have lay with many throughout your life. What makes me different?"

"What makes you different?" He pondered this question for a moment.  
"It was different from the moment I realized I had feelings for you.." His face became a bit more serious in his recollection of the past.  
"When I was young, I wanted to experience the world and what it had to offer. I was constantly bored and wanted to discover all of life's pleasures. Including pleasures of the flesh, from all races and genders."  
He then smiled and tilted his head toward her. "But I never pursued pleasure of the heart. It seemed... useless. There were friends, and lusts, but never loves... And then I met you." He paused, trying to find the right words.  
"That was, until I met you." He placed a hand to his chest. "I-It changed me. A feeling I hadn't felt towards any being before. I had never had any family either. Love brought an array of confusing emotional stimuli I definitely wasn't prepared for." He giggled at the turmoil he had endured over what turned out to be such a beautiful thing.  
"You can trust, now that I have found love. I will never let it go."

Veyelline soaked in his words like a sponge and felt herself growing warm inside. She really trusted that he meant what he said because she could relate to some of the feelings he described herself.  
"I had known love before knowing you but I couldn't recognize it in this form. It is really new for me as well... we have more in common than we realize."  
She took hold of his hands in hers and gripped them tightly, studying his soft, cold blue skin.  
"What did you look like.. before...? What color was your skin? Your hair, and your eyes... I want to know everything about you. I want to pretend as though I've always known you, because I feel as though my heart always has."  
She studied his face and tried to picture it any different from how it was in this moment. She simply couldn't make her mind's eye re-imagine him.

_I probably shouldn't ask these questions... it's not important for me to know who and what all he lay with before me... but I'm just so damned curious!  
_ _I want to know what they were looking up at or down on when they fornicated with my soul mate..._

He closed his eyes to better remember. "I feel it has been so long I am starting to forget. My hair was jet black and long, usually tied up as i do now. My eyes green, tainted by the blight that effected the Sunwell many years ago. My skin was fair, and pale, and definitely no tentacle." He chuckled at his remark. "In all honesty It wasn't much different." He didn't mean this of course but tried to maintain this notion through denial.

 _Black hair... green eyes... pale skin...  
_ She could almost see it, but it didn't look like him... it didn't look like her Agholor.  
  
 _That's good.  
_ _If he wasn't himself before... he was never really with anyone but me.  
_ _Nobody else matters..._  
  
She lay back down into the pile of pillows and sighed.  
"I'm sorry for asking these questions... I don't know why my head is so muddled since you mentioned the monk. I suppose this is another unexpected side effect of being in love."

He nuzzled into her. "I'm sure more unsure-ness will come, but we will be strong. We are both quite strong." He gave her a peck on the cheek.  
"And you still have much to learn, my little protege" he giggled deviously.

She smiled and giggled right back at him, his nuzzles tickling her skin and turning her pink.  
"Yes... my Shan'do" she responded playfully.  
A sudden exhaustion overtook her. She knew she should probably get up to retrieve some dinner but simply did not want to move.  
She was too comfortable and happy right there next to Agholor. She closed her eyes and felt herself beginning to drift away.

Agholor ran a hand through her hair and decided to lay there until, hopefully, sleep took him as well. The thought of not being with her was so strong he felt that sleep was a waste of time.  
"Goodnight Veyelline.." he whispered.

She didn't respond. She was already sleeping soundly there in his arms.


	8. The Nightmare

The young Kaldorei stood at the base of a mountain.

This mountain was no ordinary mountain - it was an enormous, towering mountain, the heights of which she had never seen before in all of her travels. It reached deep into the heavens and made her feel so very small.

For quite some time she travelled around its outskirts, sometimes on her feet, sometimes on her hooves, and sometimes on her paws. Without meaning to, her body fluidly transitioned between the three formes without warning. She passed through empty villages along an empty road. Some faceless travellers met with her along this road, all going the opposite direction. None stopped to greet her. None left any footprints behind them.

After what felt like miles of following this path, Veyelline came upon a cave. It was hidden well - the only reason she noticed it was because her Ren'dorei lover, Agholor, was standing just outside it. His back was turned to her. He stood still as stone and did not say a word. He merely peered into the darkness of this cave, unwavering. His long indigo hair hung loose as opposed to its usual position wrapped into a ponytail atop his head. His icy eyes seemed more grey than their usual blue.

"Agholor? What is it?" she asked. He didn't respond, but he did touch the small of her back to urge her forward. She took this as a sign that she should enter the cave. She trusted Agholor more than anyone. She nodded and continued onward into the darkness. Still he did not say a word, and still he did not follow.

The cave was pitch black, but she could see with her nose that it twisted and turned for quite a distance. She crept along the damp stone floor slowly, unsure what could be waiting for her deeper within, but becoming desperate to find out. The further she travelled the tighter the walls became, and the thicker the musty air. It was becoming harder for her to breathe.

She stopped short when suddenly two small golden lights became visible, shining dimly from up ahead, and an all too familiar scent began to permeate the thick air and fill her nostrils, instantly triggering a jumble of vivid memories in her mind. She saw the forest of Ashenvale... the great sea... the port of Stormwind, and shaking the hand of the King... the hand-me-down elderwood bow... the pines of Grizzly Hills... the icy Storm Peaks... the neverending blizzard.

"... An'da?"

Before she could move any closer, the two golden lights grew in size and began to shine so brightly they essentially blinded Veyelline. Rather than illuminating the cave and revealing what was in front of her, the walls seemed to dissolve away as the light touched it. She was no longer standing on what felt like a cold stone cave floor, and instead felt what seemed like dried grass beneath her feet.

She closed her eyes tightly until the sound of a crackling fire could be heard... not one, but several fires, all around her. When she opened them again the light had faded, and she was now standing in what looked like the city of Darnassus. Her father Thelaros was standing in front of her, staring directly at her with his bow drawn. He appeared to be prepared to shoot at any moment. There was a campfire roaring on the ground between them, and a circle of tall lit torches staked into the ground surrounding them.

"An'da!?" she exclaimed again, feeling herself beginning to panic. He looked exactly as she remembered, but was not looking at her in the way he used to. His stare was cold... harsh... almost angry. She had never once seen him looking at her with eyes filled with anything but softness and warmth. This was not the father she knew.

Just as she attempted to take a step forward, he released the arrow. Veyelline flinched in fear, expecting the arrow to stab directly into her chest... but instead, she felt nothing. She looked down at herself and placed her hands to her chest in confusion. The arrow simply passed directly through her without leaving a trace. Before looking back up, Thelaros shot at her again! This time she witnessed the arrow phase through her body as though she weren't really there... merely a projection.

_Am I... dead? But... why is he shooting me? What is going on?!_

Panic began to take over, causing Veyelline to fall to her knees. She wrapped her arms across herself tightly and rocked back and forth on the ground, tears flowing down her face without restraint. Thelaros continued to shoot at her, and the arrows continued to behave as though she didn't exist. _Elune help me!_

A sudden chill ran through her body. The atmosphere around her began to dissolve, and her body became clammy and cold. She looked around wildly as the torches and campfire burned out and frost formed on the tips of the grass. Each of her exhales were now visible, and the tears on her face were frozen solid.

Thelaros was no longer shooting at her. He was now standing over her, just behind her - protecting her. His bow at the ready, head swivelling to detect whatever this apparently incoming danger was.

_It's so cold...  
_ _Agholor...  
_ _Is that you?  
_ _Where are you?_

Complete and total silence fell for mere seconds. Deafness.  
Then, a roaring vortex of flame instantaneously erupted all around them.

Veyelline opened her mouth to scream, but couldn't hear herself. The sound of the fire was so very loud. She could hear the grass crying as it turned to ash... she could hear the trees sobbing as their hundreds of years worth of life and growth burned away. She heard drums... war drums... beating in the distance.

The agony of the forest was then drowned out by the cacophany of voices screaming in pain. Their flesh was burning. She could see them dying all around her, their limbs reaching to the heavens for Elune to take them home. Wisps... wisps, everywhere. There was nowhere to run - nowhere to hide - the fire was consuming everything.

 _PLEASE!! MAKE IT STOP!!!!  
_ Veyelline remained too horrified to move, weeping loudly with no voice to be heard, down on all fours in the ashen soil of the flaming World Tree. She stared straight ahead to see that the fire had parted to reveal something... someone.... standing in its midst.

_... Malfurion?_

The Archdruid Malfurion Stormrage stood amidst the fires, fighting them with all his might, calling on every ounce of his strength. "Help me, my child!" she heard him speaking directly to her heart. Veyelline hastily jumped to her feet and rushed forward to join him.... to aid him.

_Malfurion will save us!_

But just as she reached him, from out of the vortex to her left came another body, and a bloodthirsty battle cry. An elven being leapt from the flames onto the unsuspecting Malfurion and drove their jagged blade deep into his flesh where his neck met with his shoulder.  
It was this devastating event that finally awakened Veyelline from her nightmare.


	9. The Nobody

In her slumber, Veyelline suddenly began to stir. Her face twitched into different expressions every few minutes. The muscles in her arms and legs flexed. She groaned a few times out loud, and mumbled in Darnassian. She was having a terrible nightmare.

Agholor's large hands caressed her face. He was worried she may be overworking herself and wanted to ease her.  
_Sh-should I use regression on her mind to sooth her dreams?  
__No, I shouldn't without her permission... but she seems to be so tormented by something..._  
He continued to watch. Eager yet cautious to allow himself to aid her.

Her discontent continued on like this for the next half hour. Every now and then her eyes would flutter open but she still was not awake. She had turned onto her back, onto her right side, then back to the left at least ten times. Her messy long hair was twisted around her neck from the movement.

He couldn't stand to see her in such agony. But he also did not want to end her slumber.  
_Maybe just a little regression, take her mind back to a happier time...?  
_He placed his hands on her temples and emitted a soft purple glow. Helping guide her mind to a time where she was happy and carefree. He had never attempted this before on a sentient being and tried to hold back as to not regression her too far.

With a loud gasp and a muscle spasm that wracked her entire body, Veyelline sat straight up, fully awake. Her forehead was covered in beads of sweat and she was breathing heavily, staring at Agholor with an almost wild fire in her eyes.  
"Wh... what... was... that?!" she exclaimed between panicked breaths.

Agholor was startled and hoped he had not affected her negatively.  
"My love! I am sorry if I startled you. I attempted to sooth your mind. You were tossing in your sleep and seemed horribly vexed by dreams. I only wished to help aid you so you could sleep."  
He placed a loving hand on her shoulder, filled with guilt from what he had done.

Her breathing slowed when his warm hand touched her, bringing her back to reality and filling her with comfort. She closed her eyes and let out a long exhale.  
"You are not wrong... I was having quite the nightmare..." she said, reaching up her hand to touch his.  
"Whatever it was you did to try to manipulate it made it... Well... It woke me, and for that I thank you."

He smiled assuming he might have helped. "I am sorry to have startled you my dear." He said looking her up and down blatantly. "What on Earth was your dream about? It must have been terrible..." He was full of worry. He hadn't seen her so bothered any of the nights he had spent with her.

She placed a hand to her head to wipe the sweat from her brow, the imagery of the dream still vivid but beginning to fade the longer she looked at Agholor and felt her heart swelling with love for him - a welcome distraction. Still, she tried to recall as much as she could.  
"There was... a fire."  
"A great... terrible fire."  
"I was with my father... He was acting strangely."  
"He wouldn't call me by name, and he aimed his arrows at me just the same if I were an enemy! None would hurt me though.. They passed right through me as though I were a wisp... "  
She paused for a moment, trying to collect herself as more horrifying images came back to her in her focus.  
"... We were surrounded on all sides by burnt corpses"  
_"So much death."_  
She was gripping her head in both hands now, her eyes shimmering as they began to fill with tears.  
"Why... Why?"

He held her closely and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Come now Veyelline. It was only a dream, I am here for you." He pressed his skin against hers using his heat to calm her. "We will find your father soon. Hopefully it stops these horrid visions!"  
_I hope I did not alter her brain negatively. I will keep my eye on her and our surroundings. These dreams seem strange._

Being held by Agholor calmed her immensely. After a few moments the visions began to fade again. She kept her mind solely on the feeling of his body, feeling his heart beating and his breath on her skin.  
"Yes... Yes... Everything will be fine... Because I have you."

He smiled warmly "So! What does Veyelline have in store for today?" He plopped back onto his rear and sat eagerly in front of her, hands on his knees, hair flowing over his shoulders. "I hope you won't be kept to long my lovely." He gave her a suave glance.

She simply sat and looked at him for a moment, taking the sight of him in with awe.  
_The most beautiful man..._  
She very much did not want to leave his side.  
"I uh... I'm supposed to be meeting with Broll for Guardian training... Just a bit though, my Guardian affinity is not strong to begin with. But I need to have at least some sort of grip on the discipline for them to let me in. I'm not too concerned about it. It's the Moonkin form I really need to gain control over."  
She reluctantly rose from the bed and made her way towards the wardrobe to get dressed.  
"... If things go well today I should be able to stay with you tomorrow!"

He watched her as she got up and walked to the wardrobe and he decided to tease her slightly, he sprawled his body upon the bed on top of the covers and draped a hand over his eyes. "Oh my Veyelline, what am I to do without you _alllll dayyyy_ today? I will be left with nothing but memories to hold onto." He sighed dramatically hoping to catch her attention.

Her face grew sad as she turned with her fresh clothing to respond to him.  
"Agholor, it's merely one more da-"  
She stopped short when her eyes fell upon his body loosely draped over the bed. For the second time this morning she was awestruck by his beauty. Again she thought of how much she didn't want to leave.  
"... Day. S-surely Maelha could... Use your help with things, or... You could just rest your shoulder..."  
What's worse, she considered taking him with her, but she knew well that the Dreamweavers would not want a Mage among them.

"Hmmmm, I suppose I could talk to Maelha, I haven't talked to her in some time. He flipped over, keeping his legs and arms spread completely out. He raised his rump slightly in the air towards her. "I will hold strong to your memory my young love! And then eventually I will have you in my arms! And be caressed by you in kind!" He spoke out as though he were reciting poetry.

Vey has to stifle her laughter at his behavior, but also felt herself blushing.  
_Beautiful AND adorable... Elune has truly blessed me._  
If her sense of responsibility were any lesser she would have stayed, but she knew the sooner she finished this training the sooner she could be at his side for good.  
"Just... Don't go looking for any more Pandaren friends!" she said semi-jokingly.

"Oh Veyelline they aren't so bad, I'm sorry excited for you to get to know them!" He held his position and wiggled his behind.  
"After all your company is the only one I crave my dearest love. Are you sure you would not let me give you a proper farewell?" He began to give into some of his feelings, something he tried not to do the day before.

She now had all of her clothing on and had started toward the balcony. It was taking all of her willpower to keep herself from simply staring at him.  
"... Proper farewell?" she inquired. Veyelline's fatal flaw was how aloof she was.

He noticed how swift she was to dress herself and simply shook his head at her aloofness.  
_Oh Vey, what am I going to do with you._ He grinned and stood up to walk to the balcony where she stood.  
"Perhaps a proper homecoming will suffice then?" He took her face in his hand and leaned in to kiss her more deeply than he had ever before. His tongue exploring the inside of her mouth, stroking her own affectionately.

The kiss filled her body with a wave of fresh butterflies travelling all throughout. She closed her eyes and let the love fill her to the brim before breaking away with a smile.  
"I will be back as soon as I can. I love you."  
She reluctantly pulled herself from his arms as feathers began to sprout from her limbs, and before another word could be said she was beating her wings powerfully into the morning air and away.

Agholor watched her and mouthed "I love you" as she flew away. He stood their, frozen in the greif of his lover leaving him for the day, and then snapped himself out of it.  
_Another day Agholor, another adventure. You got this.  
_He surmised that the triumph over boredom the day before was thanks to his new aquaintence, Seiri. So he decided to take to the streets to Dalaran once again. Maybe Seiri would be in the tavern again. Maybe another stranger would reveal themselves to be worth his time. He quickly got dressed, grabbed his purse and took to the early morning streets once again.  
_A warm, caffeinated drink sounds like a good way to keep my brain busy and alert. Coffee it is!_  
"Maelha! I am leaving, however I will be coming home to enjoy dinner with you! Be late and you will feel my wrath!" He chuckled at himself to the thought of her worrying, though in reality he didn't mind. He sold out the door and was greeted by the sweet smelling morning breeze. Another day without Veyelline had begun.

\-----

Khrystia stepped out of Greyfang Enclave with a look of pure annoyance on her human-presenting face. She had just seen Gaeralf to bed after spending the entire night out together, making sure he passed out in his own bunk rather than in the middle of the street. She was tired, but didn't want to sleep. She wanted... Something to eat. Her stomach growled audibly. She drew her hood over her head and silently walked towards the nearest restaurant.

Agholor walked with determination down the streets of Dalaran. He was actively searching for some sort of action or trouble to get into. Anything to fill the void of Veyelline's abscence. Because of this he was off his guard.

She saw the void elf out of the corner of her eye but paid him essentially no mind. It was normal to see the same people every day around Dalaran these days, now that many of the Alliance soldiers had already gone back to their homes. She walked past him without a second thought.

Agholor searched frantically around the crowd and vendors for some sort of activity, person of interest, ANYTHING. And then, as luck would have it, a cloaked woman passed by him.  
_..She is.. strange.._ He felt a feeling in the pit of his stomach. To be honest, he almost didn't even notice her. And the fact such an intriguing individual slipped his gaze unnerved him.  
He watched as she walked through the crowd, and took a step to follow her. As he did, each step increased a feeling of dread that he could not explain away. It intrigued him thoroughly.  
_Who is she, what is she hiding....? ..This may prove to be the distraction I need_ he smirked to himself.

Khrystia may have been exhausted but her senses were still as strong as ever - she had trained herself to be aware of her surroundings at all times, transcending even sleep itself . She instantly detected the void elf following her.  
_He noticed me... Interesting..._  
If she were concerned that he meant her harm she would have vanished without a trace easily. However while she sensed him following, she did not sense any sort of ill will in him. She decided to allow him to continue into the restaurant with her.

Agholor walked into the restaurant and watched as the young girl sat down. The dilemma then began.  
_How should I approach this... Watch from afar or just come up and ask questions... You don't want to seem like a creep...  
_He decided that not confronting a stranger and telling them they seemed dangerous so he followed them was the lesser of two evils, so he grabbed a table facing hers and quickly flipped up a menu to be inconspicuous.

Khrystia couldn't help but smirk beneath her hood, just before pulling it back down to reveal her messy dark auburn hair.  
_What a fool... wonder how long he's going to watch me... Wonder how much money he's got on him..._  
She had already begun to formulate several plans in her mind of how she could exploit the elf's curiosity. Pretend to have no money when the bill came for her food? Pretend to take it with her to take home to her starving children? Have him continue to follow her to a place where she could slit his throat? Or as always... Try to seduce him. She wasn't in a particularly lusty mood since she was so tired, but always an option.

Agholor waved the waiter over, trying to keep cover behind the big menu. He ordered and went back to hiding. A short while later a waiter come to Khrysria's table with an assortment of the most expensive meats on the menu.  
"For you madame!" The waitor said in a stuffy tone.

Khrystia's eyes widened at the mass of food before her and looked at the waiter in shock, but it only took her a moment to deduce what had happened.  
_Well then... I suppose I've already made an impression._  
"Uh... I didn't order this?" she started, "I merely wanted a black coffee and some toast."  
She spoke loudly enough so that the elf could hear her, but refrained from looking at him still.

Agholor took the cue and shimmered into the seat across from her at her table and immediately began talking. "How do I know you?" He stated reaching for one of the sliced pork on the table. He looked at her plainly. "Oh please help yourself." He motioned to the food and took another bite.

When he so suddenly appeared in front of her, she was startled enough to place a hand on her dagger beneath her cloak without realizing it. The fear showed on her face and she lay back in her chair with both feet planted firmly to jump up at any moment.  
Once he started speaking and she was sure he wasn't attacking, she relaxed again and returned to her previous level of confidence, hoping he hadn't noticed her reaching for her belt.  
_... Know me? Please... Who does this tosser think he is?_  
She decided she might as well partake in the food since she was certain she wouldn't be paying for it regardless, and picked up her fork to dig in.  
"I doubt you know me..." was all she said, eyes peering down at her hands, then cautiously back up at the elf.  
_Haven't dealt with one this confident in quite some time. He's powerful too. Not sure how this is going to go._

Agholor began to scratch his beard lightly in thought. "No no, I definitely know you from somewhere.. where do I.. AH! You are a mage! Right?"  
He was honestly stumped but the feeling he had seen her before irked him. He looked at the state of her, the messy hair, the rags she was dressed in.  
_Reminds me of Veyelline when we first met.._

She blinked twice, raised an eyebrow, and took another bite.  
"No sir... The only thing I do for the Kirin Tor is clean their boots for em with my back."  
She decided to play the homeless beggar card for the time being.

"Hmm, that does sound like them... " He decided he would inquire as to who she is, his brain full to hurting with possibilities.  
"Fine I give up, who are you and why do I think I know you." He asked desperately looking for an applicable answer.

_Why do you care so much??_ she thought to herself, starting to become annoyed.  
"I'm nobody..." she responded softly, twiddling the fork in her hand.  
"If you recognize me it'd be from begging for gold on the streets."

"Nonsense, nobody's nobody. And begging for gold you say? Not one of the normal beggers here, otherwise I would have given you quite a few pennies." Agholor had a reputation to be a charitable man amongst the downtrotten of Dalaran, aiming to separate himself from the pious chaff of the Kirin Tor.

She rolled her eyes. This insufferable mage wasn't going to be an easy one to dupe, but she had already said too much to back off.  
"Alright then, how about you tell me who _you_ are. Why should I go giving details about myself to a tenant of the void? Dj'you fight for the Horde before suckling the tentacle teat?"  
She looked him up and down with a cold, judgmental stare. _Nobody has yet convinced me these new "allies" won't just defect to the Dark Lady at the drop of a hat._

"Oh my lady you wound me, spoken like a true agent of the Alliance." He said disarmingly with a smirk. Her words told him more than she realized.  
"And as for me? I am Agholor Starbreaker, a mage of the Kirin Tor until I decided to abondon their silly club and go solo. As for why I decided to suck on the um, _tentacle teat_ I believe you said? Well, don't most strive to obtain power for no other reason than to have it?" He smiled and sat back to take another bite of the succulent meat, allowing the juice to run down his chin.

She scoffed. She was so put off by his posh attitude that she wished she'd gone with the throat-slitting ending.  
"Power... It's worthless, really. There will always be someone or something stronger, poised to take everything from you when you least expect it. That's who I am, 'Agholor Starbreaker.' Someone who has had everything taken from me. _Nobody."_  
With this, she stood to make ready to leave. She didn't even want his gold anymore at this point.

Agholor's eyes widened slightly. "I apologize of I offended you, it was not my intent. As someone abandoned and left nothing in my life, I can understand... the feeling of having nothing and no-one, that is. Feeling worthless, a nobody. I understand."

_How could someone like him possibly understand? He CHOSE to become a monster. I never had a choice._  
Khrystia drew her hood up over her head to hide her weary, sunken face once more.  
"Thank you for the meal. Don't follow me again." she said to him as she made for the door.  
Her exhaustion had made her stupid. She didn't want to risk any more emotions getting the better of her in public, so she decided to head down into the Hall of Shadows to find a safe dark place to sleep.

He watched her as she walked away.  
_Damn Agholor... There goes what could have been a great conversation. Still, I'll keep my eye out for her in the future.  
_He smirked before digging into the remaining scraps of meat. He would have to find another distraction, but this shaved off quite a bit of time in his day.

\-----

Agholor sat in his room, tirelessly working on some new projects. With the time he had that day he had made 12 Outfits for the shop, and 7 for Veyelline herself. The thought of her wearing the clothing was what got him through the day, as well as her reaction to them.  
_I hope she likes these... I... WHEN IS SHE GOING TO BE HOME ALREADY!  
_He was impatient. Two days without her was far to much for him to take. He began to pace and listen expectantly for his lover to arrive home.

Veyelline was tired... Very tired.  
The previous day had been easier on her because of her strong affinity for Feral techniques. Guardian techniques, however, were definitely one of her weaker points. She trained hard under the guidance of Broll Bearmantle, an incredibly strong Guardian mentor she had the pleasure of studying under in the druid community on Val'sharah.  
Her body felt sore, her skin greasy with sweat and dirt, and her hair full of twigs and leaves. She didn't even have the energy to fly home herself - she had used the hippogryph taxi service which took her to Krauss Landing. She proceeded to limp towards home looking pathetic.  
_At least it's over... And I'll be with Agholor soon..._ was all she could think.

Agholor began to get worried usually she would have been home already. He rushed to the balcony outside her room to keep watch. Suddenly he saw a limping, lumbering, dirty, eternally beautiful girl making her way to his abode.  
_Finally! Oh dear, she looks so tired and filthy... Well she is in for a treat._  
Agholor had already drawn the bath and had spent some time finding something extra for her as a surprise.  
"Veyelline! Welcome home!" He shouted from the balcony, waving her down.

At the sound of his voice her face lit up. She waved back at him and moved a little more quickly towards the entrance to the tower.  
She was so ready for food, bath time, and sleeping next to her lover.

He quickly ran downstairs and opened the door. His surprise was waiting in the kitchen. He stood at the ready, preparing to hold her in his arms again.  
_I will need to have a word with the druids... I cannot stand the distance._

She practically fell into his arms, several pieces of her armor falling off of her body as she did so.  
"I missed you..." she mumbled into his shoulder.  
_This is the feeling I work so hard for_ she thought, feeling a swelling of pride.

He held her up, her slender yet large form weighing heavy in his arms.  
"I have missed you so much!" He nuzzled his face into her neck and took in her scent.  
_Mmmmm ripe!_ It was a strong animal scent. It showed how hard she worked and that filled him with a strange feeling of pride.  
He flicked his wrist and animated the fallen armor to follow them in as he helped support her weight.  
"I have a surprise for you my love. I may have prepared something special for you!" He smiled with anticipation to unveil his project to her.

"Ohh? What sort of surprise?" she questioned, a wide smile still plastered on her sleepy face. She was excited to see what her love had in store for her.

"Follow me into the kitchen my dear." He lead her with a gentle push and a sultry voice. He sat her down at the dinner table and walked over to the storage cupboard. He turned around, a giant platter covered with a white cloth.  
"FOR TONIGHT MY DEAR!" He said dramatically. "I have planned to fulfill your every desire. I will provide you with rest and relaxation, to return the great debt I owe you for my restoration!" He bowed and then motioned to the covered platter.  
"We start our journey with dinner, prepared by yours truly. Then! I have already started the bath. A warm massage, soap, and soak awaits you. Finally! There is one final suprise waiting for you in your bedroom. Now... VIOLA!" He unveiled a cooked bird of some kind, surrounded by garnishes made into tiny flowers. The bird was dark, possibly too dark, and hard to identify. A sauce glazed the bird and was the most appetizing part of the meal. It smelled sweet yet, salty? It was honestly seemed like a mistake dressed up as a masterpiece... Poorly.  
"I call it.. Agholor's Fowl Surprise!" The irony of the name was completely missed by him. In his personal opinion, it was the perfect name.

Vey was dumbfounded for a moment, looking at the so-called "surprise" with concern.  
"Ohhhh my! It looks.. Um... It... Th-thank you!"  
She forced a smile as her nostrils flared at the various smells coming from the platter.  
_So there is obviously a good reason he hasn't cooked for me before..._

Agholor sat down and stared at her expectantly. Excited to see what she thought of his meal.

_Elune help me...!  
_She didn't want to make him feel bad, so she decided to give it a try. She gingerly picked up her fork and attempted to stick it into the aromatic mass before her. It took quite a bit of strength to pierce its skin, and she had to use both hands to shovel a bite-sized chunk from its body.  
She stared at the morsel for a moment before deciding there was no turning back - she placed it into her mouth and began to chew.  
It had the consistency of jerky... and not the good kind. It took quite a bit of chewing for her to be able to swallow it. The flavor wasn't  _bad_ but it certainly wasn't good either. It was EXTREMELY flavorful. It seemed like he had taken every spice in the kitchen to marinate it, and then added them all to the sauce as well but just with more sugar. Finally she managed to swallow it.

Agholor's eyes widened as she swallowed.  
"So? Is it good?"  
He said with bated breath.

_Ugh... do I break his heart, or do I lie???_  
She looked at him with a soft, pained smile and let her instincts make the decision for her.  
"I can tell you put a lot of effort into this, love. But I'm sorry... it's... it's kind of over-spiced..."  
She decided that honesty was the best course forward and hoped he wouldn't be too crushed.

He stared at his dish, empty of emotion for a second. He shook it off and clenched his fist, his eyes filled with determination.  
"Thank you for the feedback Veyelline. I will hone my craft and create a dish that will make your taste buds SCREAM to the heavens!"  
He wanted to make Veyelline proud, her cooking being some of the best he had ever experienced.

She reached a hand over to gently touch his face.  
"It means a lot to me that you tried. I hope I haven't made you upset in any way... I'll go and whip something up that's a little more edible, for both of us!"

"Bless you Veyelline. It appears that my night of serving you has not gone as expected. But do not fear, the rest will be extraordinary! I will take care of you this evening!" He was still determined to not mess up the rest of their evening. He was already very good at helping her get clean and his final surprise will knock her socks off.  
He watched her as she cooked longingly, "How was your day my lovely, did you master your guardian affinity yet?"

Vey decided to make a quick and easy vegetable stir fry just so not to waste too much of her valuable Agholor time. She mused about the day as she stirred.  
"It was.. Rough, to be honest. I've been training under a very powerful Guardian Archdruid, but even he can't seem to make me better at it. He's satisfied with my abilities for now, but it certainly wasn't easy to get to a point where he was willing to declare that."

"I have faith in you as I'm sure he does. He smiled, you are more talented than I think you know." He smiled and stared over at her as she stirred. "You are still my young Protégé, and still so adorable." He jeered playfully.

"Oh Agholor... You give me too much credit. I'm still but a novice, really..." she said, a shy pinkness filling her cheeks.  
 _He still calls me his_ _protege._  
She finished up the food and plated it for the two of them to enjoy together before retiring upstairs and into the bathroom.

\----- SKIP -----


	10. The Moonkin

As it turned out, Veyelline's expectations for how soon she would be allowed into the Dreamgrove were incredibly overzealous. For three days she and Agholor trained together, but she still had absolutely no clue how to transition into her Moonkin form at will. She tried to emulate the feelings she had the day she nearly murdered Maelha, but couldn't seem to get into the right mindset. She allowed Agholor to try a couple of his mental magic techniques on her, but only in very small amounts. She was still very cautions of how they might affect her mind after the time he infiltrated her nightmare. She also didn't want her mastery to be artificially stimulated - she wanted to really and truly learn.  
  
Agholor had felt that Veyelline's progress was going very well, but could see her anxiety bubbling. If he ever had any advice to students, it was to focus on their studies and let nothing get in the way. Thelaros, their relationship, the new sights of the broken isles were all to much noise and distraction. He also knew this was not going to end any time soon.

On the fourth day, Veyelline decided that if she could not make any progress, that she would reluctantly confront Agholor about allowing her to go back to Val'sharah to complete her training there instead. She hoped that she wouldn't need to, but was beginning to worry that a mage could not properly teach her the druid ways... that he could not truly be her Shan'do.

Unbeknownst, Agholor decided it was time to take measures into his own hands, rather than have his student continue ramming her head against the wall. He called her to meet him at a derelict moonwell in Valsharah to begin what he explained to be one of the more important sessions they had ever had.

\-----

Veyelline stood on the balcony outside her bedroom wrapped in an almost-too-small red and gold silk robe. The sun was shining brightly on Dalaran this crisp morning, and she was soaking it all in along with the fresh breeze.

_Today is the day... today I am going to progress._  
_For Mother... for Father... for Agholor... for myself!_  
_I've said this to myself for three days but today is different... I think... I hope..._

She stared out at the city and sighed, trying her best to remain confident but a nagging feeling in the back of her mind that she would not succeed couldn't seem to stop prodding her.  
After enjoying the morning air just a little longer, she returned to her room to dress in her most comfortable leathers and prepare for the flight to Val'sharah to meet with Agholor.

Agholor sat on the edge of the moonwell, reading a book he had read far to many times for it to be as interesting as it was to him. He paused a moment to glance to the horizon and saw a faint outline of an excited and eager little bird flapping its way to him.  
He grinned from ear to ear.

_Never will there be a time that girl fails to bring a smile to my face._

As she closed the distance he called to her,  
"Good morning my young student!" annunciating each word to display his excitement.

She screeched at him from afar, approaching more quickly. Once she arrived she joyfully swooped down over him, flying back upwards and around two more times before landing on the edge of the moonwell. She slowly transitioned back into her elven forme, eyes met with Agholor's the entire time.  
"Good morning... my shan'do!" she replied, trying to sound excited but hesitating a little too much to glean sincerity.

Agholor raised an eyebrow at her.  
"Is something the matter Veyelline?"  
His smile remained on his face, clear and full.

_Drat! I'm so bad at hiding my feelings..._

She cleared her throat and scooted closer to him on the edge of the well, looking down at her feet in embarassment.  
"I'm just... feeling discouraged lately," she began, "... and I'm trying to stay positive but I'm beginning to fear that..."

_... that I can't do this, and you can't help me._

"... that I'm not trying hard enough!"

He chuckled lightly, "My love, I would not discount your efforts so easily. You have put your heart and soul into this training."  
His face then sank into a half scowl as he looked to the horizon. "I fear my methods have not been as effective as I thought they would be. And so the fruits of my labor thus far have brought me to take... drastic.. measures."

He turned to her, his face slightly menacing and still as though it was carved in stone. "Are you ready to master the moonkin form Veyelline. This will be your final lesson." He spoke calmly, steadily, and commandingly.

She stopped slouching in an instant, perking up straight and tall with a seriousness in her face to rival his own.  
"I want to... no... I need to do this. I am ready."  
With this, she stood and faced him. The grass at her bare feet moved gently as she began to feel her druidic power channelling through her body with anticipation.

He nodded and took her by the hand out into the clearing. after walking about 25 meters away he reached into a pouch and drew out a gigantic gilded staff with beautiful crystalline spires atop it. He had never drawn his staff while she was around before.  
"Stand here." He stated as he held his hands to her shoulders.

Once she was in place, he shimmered back to the moonwell, expelled most of his flowing clothing and stood in his undershirt and pants barefoot inside the moonwell. He raised his hands and in an instant, a volley of ice shards the size of his head slammed down in a line in front of her, causing a line to form in between them.  
"You may not cross that line, until I have moved from this moonwell." The air chilled more and more around the clearing.  
"What we will be attempting to do is to cause a natural need for you to enter your balance form." His face sank slightly.

_I wish it hadn't come to this.._

"Until I move, I will unleash an unrelenting assult of ice upon you. This is a real senario, if you arent careful you could get injured or worse."  
He looked across the feild to her tenderly. "You may decline this lesson if you so wish. But if you do, I will no longer be able to teach you..."

Veyelline's jaw dropped wide open. It was the last thing she ever could have expected - That she would have to fight for her life against her true love in order to draw out her deepest strength. But once the initial shock wore off, she realized...

_... he's right. It may very well be the only way._  
_But he's so much more powerful than me... he could kill me easily!_  
_... or could he? If he loves me..._  
_No, Veyelline. This is for real. It has to be or it won't work..._

She choked back tears with an anxious gulp, closing her eyes to get her bearings, and slid one foot back in the grass to ground herself in the fertile soil below. When she opened her eyes again, they were aflame with moonlight.

"Come at me! With Elune to guide my hand, I will fight you with every fiber of my being!"

Agholor nodded and raised his staff skyward. His eyes began to emit a frost the bellowed down his cheeks. Suddenly a hail storm of ice bolts fell from the sky directly at where she was standing, as she ran around the comets traced wherever she had been.  
Agholor stood ever still, a conduit of magical power.

Veyelline continually weaved from side to side to avoid the jagged ice showering down onto her, taking care not to cross over the line.  
She was struggling to find a chance to attempt to draw from her power to cast against him. She could barely think straight enough to avoid getting mutilated. Transforming into a cat may help her to more easily avoid but she could not draw upon concentrated nature energy from that form... The same was true for her bear form. She may be able to tank direct hits from the ice but still would not be able to fight back.

_Damn it all... He's too fast!_  
_I must be capable of attacking swiftly... Focus, Veyelline, FOCUS!_  
_Remember drawing your bow... Remember, and do it with Elune's grace!_

She stopped moving for just a split second to attempt to lash out with moonfire, but she was too slow. An ice shard crashed into her shoulder, tearing her armor open and drawing blood.

"Ugnnghh!!"  
She fell to one knee, but had managed to call upon a weakened burst of moonfire.

The moonfire funneled straight towards him, but once he noticed it, a simple sidestep was enough to dodge it. Agholor decided to change his tactic as well. He knelt down and placed one hand to the ground, leaving the other on his staff. The ground below Veyelline began to shake, suddenly a glacial spike rose from the dirt below her. Where ever she ran, the spikes followed in suit.

Again she evaded as swiftly as she could, jumping over the spikes and narrowly dodging them as they broke through the ground beneath. This also made it harder for her to channel her power. She was relying on touching the grass to boost her connection to nature.  
To compensate, she dove towards a nearby tree hoping to borrow some of its strength, but rocketed towards it with too much force and slammed into it with her injured arm.  
With a gasp of pain, leaving a splatter of blood in its bark, she managed to draw upon the energy for one under-powered solar flare blasted in Agholor's direction from her bad arm.

The beam struck Agholor, but his natural resistance to weaker magics equated it to a burn on his cheek. He noticed the weakness of her attacks and decided it was now or never. He held a hand up and conjured a small swirling snowball in it. He then launched it skyward. As it sailed into the air, it grew, and shards of snow and ice began to swirl around it. Once it hit it's peak and began to descend, the sphere was the same size as the moon above them. As it returned to earth the Ice blew faster and the ball grew even further, a compact Arctic storm was slowly falling onto her.

It struck the ground and sent a frigid shock-wave through the clearing, stinging skin and flesh below. As the ball spun the hail and winds ripped around her at unrelenting speeds and fury, slowly freezing her in place.

Exhausted and in pain, all she could do was watch in horror as the hellish snowball, in likeness of Elune, descended upon her. She held onto herself for warmth, shivering uncontrollably, her heart pounding in her skull.

_This is it...  
__I'm going to die here...  
__I'm going to freeze to death._  
  
`... going to freeze to death  
``.. to freeze to death`  
`f r e e z e. t o. d e a t h`  
  
`The frozen wastes of Northrend  
``A hand outstretched, a longbow in the other  
``A strong voice crying out through the relentless blizzard  
``"Veyelline! Stay close to me, or we're going to freeze to death!"`

In that moment, something in Veyelline snapped.

"... YOU?! IT... WAS... YOU!!!!"

Her voice erupted in a booming roar. Her battered body seized up as hundreds of black feathers sprouted violently from her skin. A massive swell of cosmic energy burst forth from her and directly into the icy vortex, shattering it instantly.

Veyelline had become the owlbeast. In her unhinged fury she called with all of her strength upon the power of the stars, which burst downward from the heavens en masse directly at Agholor with no remorse.

Agholor dove out of the way, dodging the starbolts, and even getting hit by some. He finally landed a few yards away from the moon well, a few deep wounds, but noting to drastic or near fatal.

_Sh-she did it...._

"VEYELLINE YOU DID IT!!" He lept up in to the air in excitement! As he landed the wound on his leg made it completely give way and he collapsed to the ground. He didn't care, he achieved her goal. He helped his love find her power within.

He paused for a moment.  
_Hold on...It was.. me ..?_

He turned to the beautifully terrifying feathers being that was his student. "V-vey what.. was me...?" He was exhausted from his casting and his wounds to make complete sentences at the moment.

The gigantic bipedal creature breathed heavily as it slowly made its way closer to him. It was still angry... She was still angry.

_This body... This feeling..._  
_Such rage!_  
_But I am in control... Aren't I?_  
_Yes... Yes, I think now I understand._

Her consciousness slowly but surely acclimated to its new form, and it was beginning to feel similar to when she transformed into her other animal forms... But, it entailed a completely different mindset than any of the others. It was built purely and primally on a desire for destruction... For retribution... For punishment. It was built on strong, furious emotional responses.

Veyelline could feel unmeasurable amounts of power within her in this form. It was as though Elune herself resided in her chest cavity, and with each beat of her heart the energy coursed from her core to the tips of her feathers, the end of her sharp beak, and throughout each tendril of her antlers.

Another interesting notion was that she could speak in this form.

"Agholor..." she said in a distorted tone, "Your assault triggered a memory in me. That memory is a nightmare that has plagued me for decades. This was the key to awakening this forme... But now I believe I understand how to call upon it. Thank you."

"I-I am so proud of you my student. You have su-succse-ded in you greatest t-trial! And such p-power!"  
His breathing became a bit more labored.

_Keep it together, your wounds aren't that bad, Lore._

"I am sorry for triggering such a violent memory my de-dear."His voice became weaker as he continued to lose blood. "What k-kind of shand-do am I, huh Veyelline." He chuckled. "Bleeding all over the place like this.."

Once a few more moments of reveling in her newfound abilities had passed, Veyelline realized how badly she had injured Agholor.  
"OH MY GOODNESS! Agholor... I'm so sorry!!!"  
She bounded towards him, the feathers falling from her body as she slowly descended back into her natural form. She fell to her knees at his side and immediately shoved a hand deep into the icy soil to channel Regrowth. His head fell into her lap as she placed the other hand to the side of his face.  
"I'll fix you... I'll heal you..." she promised, her voice cracking, "Oh PLEASE forgive me..."

"Forgive you?? Never!" He said enthusiastically! "I will carry these scars as a testament to the day my apprentice mastered her power and herself!" Ihe smiled and placed a gental hand on her cheek. "I am.. so very proud of you Veyelline."

He had never had much luck with apprentices or lovers. Veyelline stood as a defiance to his perceived failures. His light in the dark and his greatest accomplishment. He felt in this moment that the world was their oyster, and he was excited to finally solve the great mysteries of the world with his beloved woman, and best friend.

Warm teardrops fell from her silver eyes onto his icy face. She looked down on him, still sniffling, but now also smiling.  
_He is crazy! Sweet... Adorable.. But crazy._  
"All I've wanted was to make you proud... But I didn't want to hurt you in order to do so..."  
She was beginning to feel incredibly drained, but focused what energy she had left fully into treating Agholor's wounds.  
Her own arm appeared to be in surprisingly decent shape. The area where it was cut open was now covered in a tough scab that almost looked like bark. She figured it was a fortunate side effect of the transformation.

"Nonsense Veyelline, risks must be taken to further knowledge. We will be alright, and you will be stronger because of it."  
Once he felt in better repair he stood up and put some weight on his wounds to test them out.  
"I think we earned ourselves a nice rest, what do you think my love?"

She stood up with him, her body feeling very heavy. Her first thought was to try to do it again, just to make sure she really could for when she finally returned to the Dreamweavers to prove it, but she determined it would be fine to rest up for now.  
"I think that would be for the best. Food and rest..."

"Agreed!" he placed a hand on Veyelline's shoulder, formed an arcane ball in his hand and then slammed it down to teleport them to Krasus' Landing in Dalaran. He was eager to spend a restful day with her around the city, something he'd been wishing to partake in with her for a very long time.

\-----

As Agholor walked Veyelline down the Dalaran streets, he stole glimpses of her. His pride and admiration for the young elf grew every day and even more so on this particular day.

_Never has there been anyone I have been so enamored with.. even Alleria._

He noticed he had been looking too long and turned forward abruptly, narrowly dodging a lamp post. His cheeks darkened from embarrassment.  
"S-so what does a Master Druid want to eat for lunch?" He said to break out of his trance with the girl.

Veyelline walked along as though she were in a trance. She was somehow deep in thought but devoid of feeling due to how emotionally and physically drained she was. For four days she had struggled and struggled, and on this day though she had finally found success, it still was hitting her hard and taking its toll.

_I'll need to be sure I can do it again..._  
_Tonight, late perhaps.. or tomorrow, early..._

The voice of her father continued to echo in her head from the vision she had earlier. It was so clear and crisp in that moment, moreso than she had been able to imagine in years. She missed him so very much. She was finally going to be able to continue her search for him soon. She pondered whether in that vision he had really and truly called out to her.

Agholor's voice hit her ears but didn't register at all. She shook herself from her trance and looked down at him tenderly.  
"I'm so sorry Agholor, what did you say?"

She gripped his hand tightly.  
_I just need to be with Agholor right now. These three days we've barely talked, we've trained so hard._

Her grip on his hand sent tingles down his spine. It was as though they had been strangers the past few days and he decided tonight was a return to the frivolity they once shared at a campfire side in the highlands.  
"Food my dearest, you must be famished after all of that. Anything you want, the sky's the limit!" He always enjoyed doting upon her and tonight was the perfect chance.

"Ahh yes... I really should eat something shouldn't I... haven't really had anything yet today."  
She didn't really have much of an appetite at this particular moment but knew she'd probably feel better physically if she ate.  
"Can we go to the restaurant with Pandaren cuisine? It's been quite some time... and I could go for some mint tea."

"Of course my girl, mint tea and soup on me!" He lead the way to the to the Pandaren restaurant. Once inside he confronted the hostess and whispered something in her ear. They were then led straight to the back of the restaurant. There was a hallway with many doors. She unlocked one and allowed them to go inside.  
They had a long table and a harem of pillows all over.

"I'll be back with your refreshments." The hostess said and walked back down the hallway.

"How about this Veyelline? A private room all to ourselves!" He walked to the pillows, did a twirl, and sat down in a lounged position.

Veyelline giggled at Agholor's enthusiasm and followed him into the lavish room. She was always so grateful for how much he went out of his way to ensure the best for her, but was also a bit overwhelmed by it at times. Spending most of her life in the wilderness before meeting Agholor, there were times where she missed the simplicity of those days.  
She took a seat right next to him and looked him up and down.  
"Are you feeling okay? Your wounds aren't hurting you, are they?"

"There is a twinge of pain here and there but I am almost one-hundred percent!" he said with a confident smile.  
He paused slightly and his face grew more serious. "Are you alright Veyelline, you have seemed.. distant...?" He stroked his goatee gently.

She looked into Agholor's icy blue eyes and sighed. She felt bad for making him worry, and figured there was no sense in hiding anything, so she decided to be honest with him.  
"I'm just... very tired, my love. The past few days have taken a lot out of me. My mind has been racing with memories of the past, and fears for the future. I know what happened this morning was so very good and I'm happy for it! But the road ahead still seems so long and arduous..."

"Do not think for a second I have not had Thelaros on my mind." He stared into a candle flame, which he often did when concentrating. His demeanor was more serious and somewhat exhausted. "Every day I send informants out into the wilderness, hoping to hear any information. And they are close, days even from finding him." He looked up to meet veyellines eyes, the ware showing on his face. "I even have confirmation of a sighting of him."

Vey was taken aback at this claim, a scowl forming as she pondered his claims.  
"... How long have you known of this?" she asked softly, but her voice began to rise in volume and her eyes shine brightly with wonder, "I didn't realize you were spearheading this sort of search party!"  
She was hopeful, but skeptical. She thought to herself that none of these people had ever met him nor seen him, so how could they have been sure it was really him and not just some other elderly night elf? She now wondered if he had been recognized in a decorated manner in the war against the Legion, if he even fought in the war.

"I have considerable influence in Dalaran... When I began searching for him during our training, my search brought me to the Unseen path, a guild of hunters." He leaned back into the pillows. "Many of them had tried to befriend him, but apparently he liked to keep to himself. However, he kept near enough to communicate with them, which is why he chose Highmountain as his residence."

The hostess came in with the tea they had ordered and some appetizers, bowed, and left. Agholor smiled and waved her off.  
"I told you I would find him for when you finished your training. Take some time to rest tonight, we will try changing your form again tonight and tomorrow morning. My hope is that I hear more on your father by tomorrow afternoon."  
He chuckled wearily. "I know how eager you are to solidify our training, but continuing in your condition now would be counter productive, so drink!" He took a sip of his tea and his eyes widened. As per usual Agholor was keen on letting everyone and everything know when he enjoyed a taste.

She took in everything he said like an overfull bucket, bits leaking out of her mind as soon as they entered it.  
"The Unseen Path... Hunters guild... Amazing!"  
She stared into nothingness as she took hold of her tea cup and began to sip it down. When the flavorful drink hit her stomach she felt almost instantaneously energized and renewed. Pandaren mistweaver tea was so amazing at perking up one's senses. She finished it quickly, and looked up from her cup with a new brightness forming on her face.  
"Agholor, you have done so much for me," she said, "... It just seems too good to be true. All these years I've searched, thought him to be dead, but meeting you brought me to the place he's been all along."

Not wishing to belittle everything Agholor had done for her, she kept a few of her thoughts to herself... Thoughts of her own stupidity.  
_How foolish I was to not try harder to make my way here..._  
_I knew about the war, I knew the Alliance got involved, but when I couldn't find him in Pandaria I thought he was no longer under command..._

"Grief is unpredictable. I can remember a time I thought I had lost you, and what it drove me to do. I can only imagine what he had done, the lengths he took to find solitude. To find..." He shook his head, not allowing himself to dwell on the past to long.  
"Very soon he will be like me now! With you and happy for the first time in decades. If I didn't help such a thing, then I could call myself a maker of magic now could I?" He giggled and sipped on his tea more viciously, realizing how much he needed its revitalizing qualities.

Veyelline took in what Agholor said with agreement and appreciation, recognizing that his points were more than valid. She herself had responded in volatile ways to grief, nearly dying in the process. Her heart swelled with admiration and understanding for him and it showed in the softened look on her face.  
"You're right... you're so right! As usual, you bring me back from darkness and remind me that the future is bright, my love. You are an expert."  
She smiled wide and leaned her head onto his shoulder, cuddled up together with him and with the copious pillows of their private dining room.

The feel of her body on him warmed him to the bone. Veyelline and Agholor, together at last. He took notice then to the scratch in her shirt where he had struck her. "OH VEYELLINE! I do hope I haven't wounded you to grievously... I had to give you everything I had you see, in order to help. I do hope you understand!" He pleaded with her. He fully understood what he had to do, but did not realize how mortified he would be if he injured her.

She'd actually nearly forgotten about the wound. She turned to look down at the gash on her arm, and then showed the dark purple, hard, crusted skin to Agholor eagerly.  
"Oh it's really fine! At some point in my transformation it scabbed over... It's almost bark-like... I assume it'll finish healing up swiftly if I treat it like normal. It doesn't hurt at all."

He turned to studiously look over her arm, placing his hands around the circumpherance tenderly spreading her soft flesh around the wound. "How intriguing," he studied it for longer than he probably should have. "Balance form has regenerative properties? How very interesting." He realized how long he had been looking at her wound and lifted his hands off of her abruptly.  
"Oh! I uh- sorry I just needed to be sure you are.. well.. okay." He blushed a shade of purple, sure of himself that he looked like an old worried fool.

Vey hadn't been bothered by his deep analysis of her arm, in fact she found it quite enjoyable to watch him study her so closely.  
  
_He's so cute!_  
_So smart... and cares so very much._  
  
Gushing internally to the point that she too was flushed purple, she leaned in to plant a soft kiss onto his frosty lips... The first time she had been able to kiss him in days. It felt even better than she remembered.

Agholor lost himself in that moment and found himself unconsciously trying to kiss her back. He also hadn't realised the time that had passed since they had any intimate contact whatsoever. He was so focused on helping her reach her fullest potential. He had forgotten the benefits of her being his partner, the tender embraces they share together. After their kiss ended he looked into her eyes.  
"Oh how I've missed this." He said enthusiastically.

To this she went in for more, continuing to kiss him lovingly for several minutes. Stopping only for breath and to press her forehead against his so that she could feel more of his face.  
When finally they pulled apart, Veyelline's stomach began to growl audibly. She giggled with embarrassment and turned away.  
"I... I guess I should eat now..." she mumbled.

Agholor, gasping slightly, nodded and reached over to pull a rope that was followed by chimes. Suddenly plates of noodles and dumplings were brought in by a few Pandaren women, and one large Pandaren man. They left the steaming piles of food in front of them.  
"I forgot how good Pandaran food looked.." Agholor sloppily observed as a mix of passion and hunger drool left his gaping mouth.

Vey's stomach growled even more loudly now that she could see and smell the feast before them. She wasted no time digging in.  
"Elune bless this meal, " she said quietly before taking the first bite. She had become more "religious" as of late, as she was superstitious that her connection to nature drew strength from such behaviors.

Agholor saw this behavior and thought it only polite to join in. "Yes, do bless it." And he as well dug in, it had been awhile since he had a proper meal, mostly gorging himself on his ceviche pork stomachs that he claimed to be his newest masterpiece.  
_I have to give it to the chefs, they are quite skilled. I however am a close second._  
He continued to gorge himself whole studying the ingredient to taste weights.

It only took a few minutes for Vey to finish an entire bowl of veggie ramen. She had become quite good at using various utensils to eat the exotic foods of Dalaran. She swiftly moved on to the red bean dumplings, this time using her hands to messily stuff her face with them - the method she was most comfortable with.

Agholor stomach being quite a bit smaller than hers filled quickly on his duck ramen and a few pork dumplings. After only a few minutes of eating he leaned back and undid his belt from his tight black trousers. "Oooof, Veyelline. They absolutely gave us too much food!" He turned and watched as the night elf ate to make up for what seemed like days of missing meals. He was honestly too in pressed with her pace to scold her. "Tasty, Vey?"

She turned to him with her cheeks bulging and nodded happily.

"I usfhdf tofhj noghht eeht f..." she tried to speak but her mouth was far too full. After taking a few more seconds to chew and swallow, she answered.

"So very good... I used to not eat for days, sometimes even weeks at a time when I lived in the wilderness. My stomach can deal with being empty for much longer than a normal person, but nowadays I think I'm starting to feel the pent-up hunger more strongly after waiting too long."

Agholor held a hand to his lips to stifle a giggle. "Veyelline, you are absolutely the most enchanting woman I have had supper with in my entire life." Agholor couldnt help but find enjoyment in even the smallest and sloppiest of Veyelline's attributes. He watched as she happily filled herself with food and drink.

After a while of eating and merrymaking, Agholor decided it may be time to venture home. "What do you say Veyelline? Shall we venture home? I believe it is time to tap into the balance aspect once again for practice, hmm?"

Vey was sprawled out on her back in a pile of pillows with her legs in Agholor's lap, feeling so full she could barely move. With great effort, she sat up, belched loudly, and nodded twice.  
"I'd like that... I hope I can do it again... I should.. _urp_ definitely have the strength for it!"

_Hopefully the walk home will get me digesting a bit... guh I'm so full..._

"Excellent! Then on we go!" Agholor leapt up quickly, and helped the now rotund night elf up after. They walked at a brisk pace, her hand in his, as he led her back to their tower in a hurry. Eating is fine, and rest is important, but progress is essential - at least in his mind.  
  
_I cannot wait to study her physiology once she transforms again!_  
He had never had the opportunity to study and probe a moonkin before and the thought brought him excitement that was almost too hard to hide.

\-----

Once they entered he quickly jumped up the stairs beckoning Veyelline to hurry and join him.  
"Veyelline quickly! I will be in the atrium!" he called.

The walk home had in truth worked wonders for getting Veyelline's stomach sorted, and she no longer felt overfull. She was feeling quite pleasant upon entering the familiar home, even turning to give a friendly (but un-reciprocated) wave to Maelha on her way up the stairs.

She ambled into the atrium and began to try to mentally prepare herself for what was to come. She wanted to... needed to... become the moonkin again on demand. She just hoped it wouldn't require the same sort of traumatic memory from before since she now had a handle on her inner feelings from within the forme.

"Alright Vey, are you ready?" He gleamed as he prepared himself to witness the transformation first hand. He stood, across from her and scanned her over.  
"And don't be afraid to try anything you need to! Do anything that helps you get in the... _Zone_."

She took a deep breath, nervousness creeping up on her once more.

_By Elune's grace..._  
_I will be filled with her power once more, and take on my most powerful form._  
_I will do this for father... For mother... For Agholor._

"I'm ready to try... No... to succeed!"

With this revelation, she closed her eyes and focused her druidic energy hard into the center of her body. On the backs of her eyelids, a blue flame danced with stars for sparks and the endless blackness of the night sky as fuel. When she opened them again, her eyes shined brighter than ever with moonlight.

_I am... Kaldorei._  
_I am Elune's fury._  
_With her as my guide... I will..._  
_I WILL FIGHT!_

Again, the black feathers began to blossom from her skin as her body swelled with power. She grew taller and wider, antlers and beak, talons and a terrifying roar.  
This time, however, she had full control. She did not lash out at her lover. She merely watched him through her burning eyes.

Agholor's eyes grew at the sight of her transformation. He was fearful for only a second and then became increasingly curious. "Veyelline this is absolutely beautiful. So vicious and glorious."  
He slowly approached her and placed his hands on her feathers. "M-may I..?" He had an itch to scratch, hoping to discover the anatomy of a moonkin first hand.

Her first instinct was to bite him, but she managed to stifle it.  
_Why is this body so angry? Goodness me..._  
"Go ahead, my dearest."

When she spoke, her voice sounded so incredibly different. It was deeper, distorted, and loud. When she heard it out loud it was like she was hearing a completely different person speaking through her.  
_That is going to take some getting used to..._

She raised her heavy arms to spread out the feathers in full. She began to look herself over as well, taking in her new body and learning how it felt and moved. It was strong and thick like her bear form, but still felt light and lithe like her cat form. Being on two feet instead of four made her also feel more like her natural self. The antlers sprouting from her head were short but had a decent amount of weight to them. Her feathers were soft on the underside but hard like chain mail on the outside to protect her.

Agholor began to give her a good go over. Going feather by feather and testing the qualities of her wings and antlers.  
_These really are just like birds feathers, but what impossible thickness..._  
He then began to check her full anatomy seeing what parts of her may still be human and what was animal from the tip of her head to between her knees. He researched extensively charting in his mind the exact scientific properties for documentation later.

For the most part, Vey stayed calm while Agholor prodded at her new body. A few areas caused her to instinctively growl at him, and when he delved into more tender, private areas she pulled herself away angrily.  
_I can feel Elune's resolve... This body is sacred... It is not to be defiled..._  
"Agholor, I will likely attack you if you continue too much longer, please be careful."  
At least she was able to tell when she was growing restless so that she could warn him.

Agholor withdrew his hand and maintained studying from afar. He knew all to well the sacredness of the druids and did not want to upset whatever balances there be about the moonkin.  
"I most definitely understand my love." He couldn't help but grin from excitement. Experiencing visible proof of another form of magic before his eyes was always such a treat to him.

"Alright my dearest, I want you to use some controlled spells on these targets I have crafted for you." He twiddled his fingers and 3 mannequins rolled out on display carts. Each with a different fashion, all completely gaudy.  
"Some of my early works... such hot messes." He chuckled with embarrassment to himself.  
"Please just light them aflame so I won;'t have to worry about them ruining my line."

Vey tilted her horned head, giggling to herself on the inside partially at the outfits, but mostly at Agholor's motivation for having them destroyed.

_Mustn't let them ruin his line! Elune must help me smite these horrible creations!_

With a mighty bellow, she called upon her power and cast a mighty solar pulse onto the mannequin in the center. The blast was so strong that the flames danced into the adjacent ones as well. All three were now aflame with solar fire.

During the show Agholor had materialized a pair of sunglasses to shield his eyes. Once the blaze subsided he took them off and threw them up and away. They fluttered quickly out of existence.

"Magnificent! Well done Vey! Now I have one last test. I want you to fill this room with slow falling stars, beautiful cascading light of Elune. Do you think you can do that?" He asked, eager and wide-eyed.

"Oh yes! Yes of course my love!"  
She began to channel her power to conjure the starfall, just as eager and excited to please Agholor as he was to see it... But mid channel, she realized something -

"... Uh... Agholor... You might want to watch out!!"  
As beautiful as it was going to be, it was also going to be destructive. She suddenly worried for the state of the room, but was too far into the cast to stop.  
"HERE WE GO!!"

The first star fell directly onto a desk off to the side of the room. It completely shattered into a million wooden splinters.

_Oh... Oh no..._

Agholor watched as his workspace became a scene of beautiful destruction. Each ephemeral star came crashing down to the floor creating craters and smashed furniture.  
Once the onslaught ended, he turned slowly to Veyelline in utter shock. He then began to clap uproariously

"Brava Veyelline, Brava! What a magnificent show of nature's power!" He wiped a tear of pride from his eye.

The sound of the destruction roused Maelha from her work and had her quickly sprinting upstairs. She creaked the door open carefully, and beheled the devestation that was the atrium. He jaw dropped, eyes widened and stared for a good two or three minutes. At the sight of Agholor's cheering she slowly closed the door, and returned to her work with the same expression plastered to her face.

"You can change back now Veyelline and rest!" He still wanted to make sure her transformation back was flawless and unhindered. Once she had completed this he will mark this as a complete success.

Veyelline was purely in awe at her own power, never expecting to be able to destroy so much so easily. It was unfortunate that Agholor's home paid the price, but he didn't seem angry so she didn't feel too bad in the end.

_Change back now... Got it..._

She did very much welcome the idea of going back to normal for the night. She wanted to conserve her strength for the coming day where she would show the Dreamweavers what she had learned. However, it took her a minute or two to get into the right mindset to do so.

_Oh my... What if I got stuck this way?!_   
_Don't think like that... That's not how this works..._   
_It's not like the worgen curse!_

After a good five minutes of focusing her mind back on her natural body, she finally managed to fully change back (with the exception of a couple of feathers still poking out of her hair.)

Agholor stepped to her quickly and swept the down off of her shoulders.  
"Amazing Veyelline! You have perfected it!" He hugged her tightly with pride and love. He could feel how heavy she was in his arms.  
"Perhaps it's time to rest my dear? Some food, maybe some wine?"

She pressed herself hard against Agholor. Her body was feeling fairly sore, not being used to transforming into such a large bulky form, especially twice in a single day.  
"I'm still stuffed from earlier... but maybe just one small glass of wine... To celebrate!" she spoke softly yet happily into his chest.

Agholor felt her warmth pressed to him and wished the moment could never end. The mixture of pride and overflowing love for her fueled his existence more than any amount of knowledge.  
"Agreed my love! I will pull out the most expensive wine tonight. You deserve it!" He held his elbow aloft to escort her downstairs.

Once they had adjourned he fetched the wine from the cellar and returned with two crystal glasses with the bottle floating after him. It uncorked itself, and began pouring into each glass. He chilled it with a tap of the finger and handed it to Veyelline. "Highborn Wine, from long before the first war. I am eager to hear your opinion." It was pungently sweet smelling, yet the sting of alcohol in the e scent was to be noticed immediately.

Vey had gotten comfortable slipping into a brand new dress straight off the racks in the workshop. It was deep blue with gold accents and trim - the colors of the Alliance.  
"This dress is lovely Agholor," she said, taking the glass from his hand but not yet drinking. She spun around once to let the flowing silky fabric spin around her body. It fit her very nicely despite having a small hole just above her bottom - a hole for a Draenei's tail.  
"What was your inspiration for it?" she asked in naivety, not realizing that Agholor hadn't been the one doing the work for days now.

Agholor looked over the dress carefully.  
"This dress is not one of mine, skillfully made though!" He walked over and checked the sizing. He stuck a finger through the back hole of the dress and poked her tailbone gently.

"It looks to have been made for a Draenei, though it suits you quite well. Every curve captured.." he began to blush.  
"I sometimes get so carried away my dearest Veyelline. If forget to admire your goddess like physique.." he said playfully yet seductively.

"O-oh..."  
She looked down at herself in the dress a bit more critically than she had before.

_This is meant for a draenei... That explains the hole... Ugh I'm so dumb!!_   
_That means... Maelha made it for herself?_

"S-silly me! I should probably take it off..."

He had taken a sip of wine and almost spit it out. "No! No, Veyelline. Keep it on, it suits you." He smiled and stood up, tracing his hands along the sides of her body.

_Magnificent._

"Veyelline.. tomorrow, your long journey ends. I will take you to your father. But promise me tonight you will revel in your accomplishments, and rest before the big day."

She placed a hand against his on her side and laced her fingers into his. She looked at her wine glass for a long moment, then took a sip. Her face softened.  
"I have strived so long to grow stronger... Searched so desperately for him, never expecting to actually find him... Instead I found you..."  
She turned to face him, looking down on him with all the love in her heart.  
"... No matter what happens tomorrow, be it journey's end, continuation, or beginning... As long as I'm with you and him, everything will be okay."

Agholor's insides melted almost completely. He felt as if everything he had ever worked for, all of the things he had learned in his lifetime, had lead to this moment.

"I feel exactly the same my dear! We will work together to bring your father back, mend him as best we can, and continue our lives with adventure! Just the three of us!"

He squeezed his body to her, his mind a flurry with love he thought not possible. Once releasing her he had another.. less good thought.  
"Veyelline darling... what if he disproves of me..?"

She set down her wine glass and took both of his hands in hers, facing him fully, but hesitated before speaking.

_This is... something I've been avoiding thinking about..._   
_But the time is actually finally here..._   
_We must talk about it._

"In full honesty Agholor... I'm not sure how he's going to feel. I'm not even sure how _I'm_ going to feel when I see him again..."  
She looked down at her feet with a scowl.  
"I've changed a lot since the day I lost him... I'm sure he has as well... There are still just so many unknowns."

In this moment Veyelline grew antsy. The more she thought about everything the more she just wanted to go to him right that second. After all, if Agholor knew where he was, why wait?

"... Must I speak with the Dreamweavers before we go?"

Agholor pondered this, stroking his beard.  
"Veyelline, your mother was very specific. You must be a fully fledged druid, and understand the teachings and magic behind it. I would rather not leave anything to chance, would you?"

He wanted to leave it her choice. After all, he wasn't her parent, just a student and lover. He wanted her to make her own way and trusted her to make the right decision, with some help.

She closed her eyes, leaned over and placed her forehead against his gently.  
" _Sigh..._ I wish she'd have said all that to my face..."  
She thought of her nightmares - encounters with Thelaros where he shot at her and didn't recognize her. Perhaps that was her mother's way of telling her to wait. Perhaps Elune's blessing would make a difference in their encounter.

The feeling of Agholor's cool breath on her neck made her spine tingle. She was beginning to fill with physical desire for him. It had been many days since their last night of intimacy.  
 _... He's right. I should be responsible... And beyond that, I should be with him tonight. I owe him that._

"You're right... As usual. I will make sure my training is complete, gain passage to the Dreamgrove, and be prepared for anything to come."

He felt her breath on his face and was overcome with desire for her. He leaned forward, looked up, and kissed her deeply. He leaned back and took another sip of wine.  
"I am so proud of you, my Thero'shan." He cooed sensually in her ear.

From first the kiss, and then his stirring words caressing her ear... Veyelline felt more want for him than she had ever felt before. It was more than want - it was _need._  
"Sh-shan'do..." she exhaled, "I want nothing more than to make you proud... Make you happy..."  
Her hands traveled down the small of his back to grip his bottom and give it a squeeze. Her new level of desire made her behave with more confidence as well.

\----- SKIP -----


End file.
